Jigsaw Pieces
by BrioScotty
Summary: A treasure hunt around New York. Future established Faberry.  Reupload in progress.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Present Day**

Quinn has barely slept a wink. The nerves that settled as she watched her girlfriend fall asleep eight hours ago have failed to disappear during the course of the night and when her alarm starts to beep earnestly at six, she's waiting to swat it back into silence. She eases out of bed, trying not to wake the comatose brunette to her right despite being sure that Rachel would probably sleep through a tornado on her only day off during the week.

The nerves, thankfully, don't stop her from going through her morning routine. She showers and dresses quickly before retrieving an envelope from her dresser, weighing it in her hand. It's the first of seven envelopes she'll be leaving for Rachel today and as she places it on the pillow, she allows herself a quick smile.

Before she leaves, she presses a soft kiss to Rachel's temple and watches the brunette's forehead crinkle. Rachel sighs in her sleep, mumbles a few nonsensical words and rolls over, curling up on her side and burying her head into her pillow.

A neighbour greets her on the stairwell with pleasantries about the lovely weather they've been experiencing over the past few weeks as she makes her way out of the building.

Despite loving the winter they've just come out of, the feeling of the sun beating down on her skin as she walks towards the bus stop at the end of the street fills Quinn with a sort of glow. She joins the queue and reaches into her bag for her well-worn headphones, letting her fingers brush over the other envelopes, Rachel's name adorning the front of each one, and a smaller object, well-hidden among Quinn's meticulously organised bag.

Headphones located, she pushes a bud into each ear and scrolls through her playlists, settling on one that Rachel added at the weekend. The opening bars of her favourite song from Avenue Q causes her to laugh out loud, causing a few of the people around her to cock their heads in amusement. She flashes them an embarrassed smile and skips to the next song, running a hand over her face as if it will get rid of the blush spreading across her cheeks.

Her left foot taps along with the music as she waits for the bus to arrive, gaze pulled across the street to an old couple sitting side by side at a café. The old man is folding up his newspaper, leaning forward to finish the last of his breakfast. He asks his wife a question but she ignores him, too heavily invested in her book to hear his words. He smiles and lifts something off the plate, waving it in front of her face. She glances over at him and starts to laugh, pushing his hand away. He gestures to the book and shrugs, a cheeky grin sliding across his features. Quinn finds herself longing to hear their conversation and she wonders briefly if she and Rachel will ever sit at that café, fifty years from now, eating breakfast and getting lost in books.

She's shaken from her reverie when the bus pulls up in front of her, obscuring her view of the old couple. By the time she's settled in her seat near the back, they've left the café and Quinn has to find something else to distract her from the nerves building in the pit of her stomach again.

Exiting the bus on an unfamiliar street, her first stop takes her away from her usual route to work. Instantly, she's caught up in a sea of people, most of whom are heading in the opposite direction towards the subway station at the bottom of the street. Quinn battles her way out of the throng and through a doorway. She glances around and finds the person she needs to talk to.

"Can I help you?"

The brunette's smile is wide and bright. Every inch of her is preened and glossy and… Quinn glances down at her own attire, grimacing slightly at her faded Converse and skinny jeans.

"I'm Quinn," she says, reaching into her bag.

"You know, I had a feeling that you might be," the woman says, smile inexplicably brightening. "Kurt told me you'd be stopping by this morning."

"This is for you."

Quinn passes the envelope across the counter and watches as the women reads the name on the front.

"Do you want to check…?"

The brunette tails off as Quinn shakes her head.

"I've already seen it. Just make sure she gets that envelope," says Quinn, then pulls a couple of bills from her pocket. "I really appreciate you helping me out."

The woman waves Quinn's tip away and holds up the envelope.

"I'll make sure she gets it."

"Thanks."

Quinn offers her a final smile and moves towards the door. The onslaught of people has calmed and the sun beats down on her skin again as she makes her way towards her next stop.

**Notes: **This is probably the shortest chapter to exist in fic ever. But bear with me. And about the rating: this chapter isn't rated M (obviously) but there are a couple of chapters later on that definitely fall into the M rated bracket. Happy reading, guys!

**Notes 2:** I just noticed that the breaks in all the other chapters messed up and they end up making little to no sense. So I'm reuploading all of them. The joy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Summer Before Senior Year**

The sound of her mother chattering fills the dining room as they eat dinner. Quinn chews on an undercooked carrot and wonders how many episodes of Buffy she'll watch before she passes out tonight. School is over and summer is a blank canvas; days of watching television and lying in the park with Santana and Brittany and maybe helping Sam babysit stretch out in front of her. Lazy days.

Eventually the blonde swallows and frowns. It's strangely quiet. She glances up at her mom to find the older woman staring back at her with a questioning look on her face. Quinn searches for a word, an answer to the question she hasn't heard.

"Yes?" she tries hesitantly, spearing another solid carrot. Judy beams back at her, a wide grin splitting her face.

"I'll tell Alice that you'll be there first thing tomorrow morning," she says and continues fighting her way through the lasagne she'd cremated earlier in the day. Quinn's stomach drops slightly.

"What? Where? When?" Quinn splutters, placing her cutlery on the table. "Who's Alice?"

Judy fixes her daughter with an incredulous look.

"Quinnie, haven't you been listening to a word I've said?"

"Yes… I… no," Quinn ducks her head, blushing slightly.

"My friend Alice is looking for volunteers to help at a day camp."

Quinn's visions of lazy days, of Buffy marathons, of stretching out on the grass in the park, of taking Sam's little sister shopping at the mall vanish in an instant. Her mom has launched into full ramble-mode once more and Quinn starts to shake her head.

"Mom…"

"Quinnie, I've already said yes," her mom says, a slight edge to her voice. "I'm pretty sure one of your friends from school is going to be there too, the short one that sings."

"Rachel Berry?"

Quinn wonders if this can get any worse. Not only is she giving up her summer to run around after a group of brats, she has to put up with the bane of her life, Rachel Berry. It's not enough that the pintsize Mariah has stolen her boyfriend, now she's stealing her summer.

"It'll be fun!" Judy says enthusiastically.

"Whatever," Quinn says, pushing away her plate, tired of fighting her way through the chargrilled 'food'. "Can I be excused?"

The younger blonde is leaving the room before Judy can open her mouth to say yes.

**xxxxx**

A stack of pancakes and a note are waiting on the counter when Quinn drags herself down to the kitchen the following morning. Despite her mom's complete inability to cook dinner, she excels at pancakes. Quinn sits down and tucks in, unfolding the note.

_Quinnie,_

_Thank you for helping Alice out. I'm sure you'll have fun. We'll get something nice in for dinner tonight. No more lasagne!_

_Love, mom x_

Attempting to look on the bright side, Quinn finishes her breakfast and tidies away the dishes. Outside, the sun is already climbing above the houses across the street and Quinn groans. It's going to be a perfect day; a perfect day for stretching out in the hammock in their back yard, escaping into another world with her favourite book and enjoying the sun. Quinn sighs and trots down the path towards her car.

There are a handful of kids already there when she arrives. She's greeted by a short, squat woman who she takes to be Alice and is ushered towards the other volunteers, instantly recognising a couple of faces from school and nodding her head in greeting. Then her eyes land on Rachel. The shorter girl is talking animatedly to one of the camp kids before they both dissolve into giggles. As Rachel straightens up, she catches Quinn's eye and shoots the blonde a nervous smile.

Before they get a chance to talk, Alice is directing them towards different activities. Quinn finds herself at an arts and crafts table where she spends the next three hours helping a group of eight year olds make things with pipe cleaners and a surprising amount of glitter.

She's clearing up some of the mess when there's a tap on her shoulder. She turns to see Rachel, still smiling nervously, holding out a juice box.

"They had orange, grape or water. I got you orange," the brunette says. Quinn reaches out for the juice and smiles.

"Thanks," she replies. "Do you want to help me out with this? I think the glitter was a bad idea." Quinn gestures to the table top and makes a face.

"Sure," Rachel moves around the table and they work in silence for a couple of minutes, scraping away at the patches of glued-on glitter. "Did you give them superglue, Quinn? I think this might be a lost cause. We should probably cover the rest of it in glitter instead of trying to scrape this off."

With a very undignified snort, Quinn laughs and sits down, taking a sip of her juice box. Rachel follows suit.

"I think Alice should find another volunteer for the arts and crafts table. What have you been doing all morning?"

"Sports," Rachel says, making a face. "I've just spent three hours ducking whenever something came flying at me. Bats, balls, a tennis racket…"

Quinn bites down on her bottom lip to stop the laugh threatening to escape.

"Alice mentioned that the kids perform a show on the last day. They sing songs; perform skits and things like that. I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to impart some of the wisdom that we've learned in Glee club," Rachel says, her words starting to run together as the nerves spring up once more. She takes a deep breath.

"Do I make you nervous?" Quinn asks, chipping away at the glitter with her fingernail.

"A little," Rachel nods. "After all, we've had a strange year with prom and the nose job and Finn…"

"You are more than welcome to Finn," Quinn interjects, her voice more harsh than she intends. Silence falls over the pair again until Rachel reaches the end of her juice box. The noise of the brunette sucking noisily on nothing but air causes Quinn to look up. Rachel blushes and Quinn rolls her eyes. "I don't want the next month to be awkward, okay? I have enough of that at home. I think we should just… start new. How does that sound?"

"I think it sounds perfectly manageable," Rachel replies, sounding relieved.

"So that's a yes?" Quinn asks, eyebrow arching as a smirk crosses her face. Rachel starts to get flustered until the snicker from Quinn causes her to roll her eyes.

"Yes."

**xxxxx**

"But that's not the point of the movie!" Quinn says, slamming her car door harder than she intends to. "Were we even watching the same film?"

The blonde storms towards the Berry household as Rachel meanders up the path behind her. Rachel's dad raises a hand in greeting as they walk into the house. Quinn flops down into the armchair nearest the television and glares up at Rachel. The brunette merely smiles in response, an infuriating smile.

"Michael, can you please tell your daughter that her grasp of the X-Men series is abominable?"

"Dad, can you please tell Quinn that she needs to figure out when she is being played?" Rachel smirks down at the blonde. Quinn's jaw drops and she splutters over her words for a couple of seconds.

"Michael, can you…"

"I'm going to make some smoothies," Michael responds, pushing himself off the couch, deciding that while he enjoys his daughter and Quinn's playful banter, he refuses to act as a messenger. "Quinn, dinner is in half an hour. Are you staying?"

Quinn runs through the Berry Takeout schedule in her head and nods. Tuesday is Thai night - her favourite night, closely followed by Mexican Friday's.

"We'll order your usual. I am going to take this opportunity to remind you both that the dinner table is an argument-free zone."

"We're not arguing!" both girls call after him before collapsing in giggles. Rachel drops down onto the couch and clutches her stomach. "You're so easy to rile up."

"Only when it comes to X-Men," Quinn responds. "And maybe Buffy."

"Nerd," Rachel says, sticking out her tongue at the blonde.

"Diva," Quinn replies with a grin. "Are you busy Friday night?"

"I'm watching a football game with Finn and Burt," Rachel taps her chin thoughtfully.

"You hate football," Quinn states, making a face. "I've got tickets."

"To what?" Rachel asks, glancing over at the now-fidgeting blonde. She's not sure if she's ever witnessed Quinn fidget before. Or look this nervous.

"A show. A musical. Two tickets. If you want to go with me," Quinn's words are clipped and hurried and not at all how she wants them to sound.

"Of course I do!" Rachel says, grinning so wide that Quinn feels her heart skip a beat or two and can't seem to stop the grin spreading across her own face. "Apparently, there are football games every week…"

"That you don't want to watch…" Quinn grumbles, the grin sliding off her face. Rachel opens her mouth to ask Quinn why she's acting like this when her other dad bursts through the door.

"I'm hooooooooooooome!"

The girls glance at one another before bursting into giggles once more. As Quinn watches the shorter of Rachel's fathers press a kiss to the top of his daughter's head and give her a hug, she feels a pang somewhere in her chest. A longing for a dad to give her hugs like that. But when Raymond turns towards her, her smile lifts.

"Quinnster," he says, holding out his hand. "A pleasure as always." Quinn accepts it and shakes it vigorously.

"Dad, she doesn't like that name," Rachel groans.

"I don't mind it," Quinn says. "Not really."

**xxxxx**

Bellies full, the girls stretch out on Rachel's bed and try to decide on a movie to watch. Rachel reels off title after title, getting annoyed with Quinn's responses of 'seen it' and 'meh'.

"Meh isn't even a word," Rachel complains. "It's a noise. A noise of indifference."

"Maybe I'm indifferent to your selection of movies," Quinn says, closing her eyes and resting her hands on her stomach.

"Maybe you need to tell me why you're being all weird today. Not just today actually. Most of the past week, you've been… funny with me. Is everything okay? We don't have to hang out now that camp is over. You can go spend time with Brittany and Santana or Sam if you want. I don't mind."

"Rachel, please stop talking," Quinn says, eyes still closed, trying to ignore the nervous knot of tension that's suddenly appeared in her chest. She feels the mattress shift next to her as Rachel lies down on her back.

There are so many words crowding Quinn's mind that she doesn't know which ones to say and which ones to ignore. Since befriending Rachel Berry on the first day of the camp she thought she was going to hate, Quinn's come to realise that not only is Rachel a nice person, but she's an incredible friend; the type of friend that will stay awake all night for text conversations about the most mundane and, sometimes, the most important topics. She's the friend who will come over at midnight to help clear up after another of your mom's kitchen disasters. She's the friend who will watch action movies despite the fact that they bore her senseless. She's the friend who will listen to your rambles about why Wolverine is your favourite and why it's a travesty that they killed off Tara despite having no idea who any of those people are.

She's the type of friend that Quinn has somehow fallen for.

"Do you really want to come on Friday? We'll have to leave here in the afternoon," Quinn says. "But I'll take you out for dinner before the show."

"Where are we going?"

"Cleveland," Quinn replies with a yawn.

"Quinn, that's a three hour drive," Rachel says, rolling onto her side to look at the almost-comatose blonde.

"It's a really good show," Quinn says, cracking her right eye open to look at Rachel. "Better than football."

"I've already said I'll go," Rachel says.

"Good," Quinn says, yawning once more. "Naptime."

Rachel laughs and rolls her eyes, picking a movie for Quinn to sleep through.

**xxxxx**

The room is almost dark when Quinn wakes up. Rachel is curled up on her side, an arm flung across the blonde's stomach. Carefully, Quinn eases herself off the bed and pulls the blankets up over Rachel, somehow resisting the urge to place a kiss against the brunette's wrinkled forehead.

She stops at Rachel's desk, picking up a pen and tearing a piece of paper from the pad headed 'Berry Important Notes'. She writes a short message before folding it up and placing it on the pillow next to Rachel's and with a lingering glance, leaves the brunette to sleep.

_Picking you up at 1pm on Friday. _

_Wear something nice. The blue dress? _

_Q_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Present Day**

"And the award goes to…"

Rachel is smiling broadly, knowing that they're about to announce her name. Quinn is on her left and squeezing her hand tightly.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Groaning heavily, Rachel opens her eyes and glares at her alarm clock. Her one day off and she's being dragged out of bed at 9am. She rubs the sleep from her eyes and glances around the room. Quinn's side of the bed is empty, as usual on Rachel's days off, except for an envelope bearing her name lying on Quinn's pillow.

Immediately forgiving Quinn for setting her alarm for some ungodly early hour, she grabs the envelope, ripping the paper in her haste to retrieve its contents. Holding it upside down, she watches a note, a bus ticket and three jigsaw pieces fall onto her blankets and frowns.

"What on earth…" she mumbles, looking at the pieces of the jigsaw. She unfolds the note and smiles.

_Morning sleepyhead,_

_No time to laze in bed, I've got a lot planned for you today._

_Have some breakfast, a big mug of coffee and get outside._

_First things first: clothes. _

_Head to your favourite store and ask for Melanie._

_Love you x_

Ignoring the note, Rachel reaches for her phone and tries to unlock it. Three times. She curses the salesmen who told her that this phone would change her life. At least Quinn's number is at the top of her favourites list. She pushes the call button and waits for it to start ringing.

"Hi, you've reached Quinn Fabray. Leave a message and I'll call you when I can. And if this is Rachel, I'm not answering. Follow the notes."

The phone beeps and Rachel drops the call, staring at her phone. Follow the notes. Rachel dials Kurt's number next.

"Good morning, Baltimore!" he answers.

"Kurt! What's going on? Why is Quinn leaving me notes?"

"Quinn leaves you notes all the time, Rachel. What do you mean?"

"She says she has a lot planned for me today. Do you know anything? She isn't answering her phone."

"Follow the notes, Rach!" he trills and hangs up. With an exasperated sigh, she drops her phone and climbs out of bed, walking quickly through their apartment. A bowl of muesli is waiting on the counter for her and when she turns to retrieve the milk, the fridge magnets are arranged to say 'FOLLOW THE NOTES'.

"I get it, Quinn," she mumbles, grabbing the carton of soy milk. She eats as quickly as possible, eager now to see what the blonde has in store for her.

Half an hour later, she's ready to leave the apartment. She slips the note and the jigsaw pieces back into the envelope and slides the bus ticket into her jeans pocket. Sunglasses on, she leaves the building and a takes a few seconds to soak in the atmosphere of her favourite city. Cars rumble by; people in the cafés that line the sidewalks of their street drink huge cups of coffee; friends call out to one another. She all but skips towards the bus stop and is surprised and pleased when a bus pulls up moments after she arrives. She shows her ticket to the driver and takes a seat near the front, eyes peeled as they move off through the city.

During the eight years that Quinn and Rachel have lived in New York, Rachel's love of the city has grown exponentially. She thrives on being surrounded by the people, the lights, the noise and the smells. She loves waking up knowing that she'll encounter different people and different situations. She loves walking down Broadway to the theatre she's currently performing at. She loves stopping in Times Square to grab a coffee and watch everything fly past. She finally feels like she has a place to call home. And she's lucky enough to have a girl to experience it all with.

She reaches her stop and jumps down from the bus, taking quick strides towards her favourite department store. She slides her sunglasses up as she walks inside and glances around the store, wondering where to look for the mysterious Melanie.

Luckily, she doesn't have to look far. A sales assistant is making her way over.

"Miss Berry?"

Rachel glances at the woman's nametag and nods.

"Follow me please!" Melanie turns and after a moment's hesitation, Rachel follows, weaving her way through the rails and shelves of clothes. They reach a dressing room and Melanie asks Rachel to sit down before disappearing behind a curtain at the far end.

A minute later, she returns, a light blue dress draped over her arms. Rachel's jaw drops and she shakes her head.

"I can't…"

"I can't give you the envelope unless you take the dress," Melanie says, making an apologetic face.

"Well, that answers the question of whether or not Kurt is involved," Rachel says, getting to her feet to take the dress from Melanie's arms. She holds it up, inspecting the intricate beadwork on the bodice that had first caught her eye while out shopping with Kurt a few weeks ago. "It's gorgeous, right?"

"One of my favourites," Melanie says. "I'll just get this wrapped up for you and get your envelope."

Left alone again, Rachel pulls out her phone and sends a message to her girlfriend.

_I love the dress. The same can't be said for your answerphone. Xo_

No response comes and Rachel realises that Quinn plans on maintaining her silence all day. She has half a mind to ignore the notes, march over to Quinn's studio and demand to see her. But on the other hand, a treasure hunt around New York, her favourite city in the whole wide world, isn't the worst way to spend her day.

Melanie returns with a bag and the next envelope. Rachel rips into it impatiently.

_Say thank you to Melanie (and Kurt)_

Rachel glances up and smiles at Melanie.

"Thank you," she says and turns her attention to the note.

_You'll need something to match the dress._

_A little blue bag is waiting at your next stop._

_Ask for Laurence._

_Love you x_

"Tiffany's," Rachel exhales. "My girlfriend is ridiculous." Despite the words tumbling from Rachel's mouth, the grin on her face cannot be contained. She looks into the envelope and finds another three jigsaw pieces. She adds them to the first envelope and picks up the bag containing the dress. "Thanks again."

Melanie waves as Rachel makes her way back through the store and watches the petite woman disappear out into the crowds.

Rachel is just a few blocks away from her next destination and with a spring in her step, she makes her way towards a store full of little blue bags.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**December, Senior Year**

"So do we exchange gifts every night? Eight gifts?" Quinn asks, pen dangling between two fingers as Rachel teaches her about Hanukkah. They're lying side by side on Quinn's bed, the blonde flat out on her stomach, the brunette staring up at the ceiling.

"Some families do. When I was younger, my dads gave me presents every night but now, we only exchange gifts on the eighth night," Rachel says, drumming her fingers against her stomach. Quinn scribbles down a few more notes. "Every night, we'll light the candles on the menorah and play spin the dreidel and on the last night, we have a big meal to celebrate. You're invited to that too, by the way. My aunt and uncle and cousins are coming from out of town. My aunt makes the most amazing latkes. You'll love them."

"So I'm going to be meeting more of your family?"

"If you want to," Rachel says, glancing over at her girlfriend. "If you don't feel comfortable…"

"No!" Quinn exclaims quickly. "I do. I mean, I want to meet your family. Of course, I do. Your dads are great. You're great. I'm sure it will be…"

"Great?" Rachel supplies, a smirk working its way across her features. Quinn rolls her eyes and smiles before leaning across to press her lips to the brunette's. The kiss starts off light until Rachel's hands snake up into the blonde's hair. Lips part and tentatively, Quinn deepens the kiss, her body edging over until she's half-covering Rachel. Her thigh slips between the brunette's and Rachel moans softly into the blonde's mouth, her hips lifting up from the mattress.

Rachel's fingers curl in the blonde's hair, tongues sliding against one another and experimentally, Quinn grinds her thigh against Rachel's centre. The kiss continues until Rachel pulls Quinn's mouth away from her own. Breathless, they stare at each other. Rachel brings one hand around to cup Quinn's chin. She studies the intense gaze on Quinn's face, the darkened eyes, the parted mouth, the tongue darting out to wet her lips and licks her own.

Quinn's gaze breaks away to travel the length of their bodies. She feels Rachel's thighs tighten around her own and whimpers as the brunette rocks her hips up.

"We need to talk," Rachel says, bringing Quinn's attention back to her face.

"We talk all the time," Quinn replies, surprised by how husky her voice is. She clears her throat and Rachel giggles.

"I know," Rachel says. "But we need to talk about where we're going. It's getting harder and harder for me to stop myself from ripping your clothes off when we make out and… what?"

Quinn gulps and shakes her head.

"Nothing," she replies. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. Or that I'm not comfortable with."

"But what if we're both comfortable?" Rachel asks, eyebrow arching as her fingers twist through the blonde hair, spiralling it around her index fingers. Quinn feels her mouth run dry and the words she wants to say flee her mind. "I don't know how this works. We've been dating for four months. Is that the right amount of time?"

"I don't know," Quinn answers truthfully. "I guess if it feels right for you and it feels right for me, then it's the right time."

"Okay," Rachel nods.

"Okay," Quinn ducks her head and starts to press teasing kisses down the column of Rachel's neck.

"Your mom is downstairs," Rachel reminds her. Quinn responds by popping the top two buttons of Rachel's shirt open and pushing back the material to run her teeth over the brunette's collarbone. "Quinn," Rachel's eyes slide shut as her body arches backwards. "You're exceptionally good at that."

Tugging the rest of the buttons open, Quinn slides a hand up over Rachel's stomach to cup her breast, palming it firmly.

"Quinn!" Rachel moans, a little louder than before causing Quinn to shush her and press another kiss to the brunette's lips.

"My mom will hear," the blonde whispers, tugging Rachel's bottom lip between her teeth.

"Then we should stop," Rachel huffs. Quinn responds by running the pad of her thumb over an already straining nipple. "That isn't stopping."

"I'm sorry," Quinn says, mouth attacking Rachel's once more as the brunette arches up to meet her touch. Rachel's hands run down Quinn's back, coming to rest at her hips. "I want you, Rach."

Rachel's response is a garbled noise as she rocks her hips upwards once more, Quinn's thigh rubbing against her in the most delicious manner imaginable.

"Girls! Dinner!" the sound of footsteps approaching causes Quinn to fly off Rachel so quickly that she ends up in a heap on the floor. Her bedroom door flies open and Judy blushes a furious shade of red as Rachel scrambles to redo the buttons on her shirt. "Oh!" A mortified Judy backs out of the room. "I'm sorry! I thought you were doing homework… not…making out. Is that right?"

Quinn groans, letting her forehead fall forward onto the carpet as Rachel struggles to contain her giggle.

"Mom, it's okay. We'll be down for dinner in a minute," Quinn calls, wishing that the floor would open up and transport her to another dimension.

The footsteps retreat and Rachel explodes in laughter, head lolling over the side of the bed to look at her girlfriend.

"Get up," Rachel says, reaching for the blonde's hand.

"I want to die," Quinn murmurs against the carpet.

"It could have been worse," Rachel says. "We could have been naked and…"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Quinn interrupts. "I'm begging you."

"We'll save the begging for later," the brunette says with a wink and rolls off the bed to tug Quinn up from the ground. Face to face, Rachel leans into the blonde and kisses her chastely on the cheek. "You're ridiculously cute when you're embarrassed, Quinn Fabray." Rachel gives her a smile and skips out of the room leaving one incredibly happy, yet incredibly frustrated girl in her wake.

**xxxxx**

"I have your present upstairs," Rachel whispers in Quinn's ear. Her dads, aunt and uncle are engaged in deep, philosophical conversations spawned from too much wine and her young cousins are running around, hyper after the mass consumption of gelt.

"Yours is in the car," Quinn replies. "I wanted to wait until we're alone."

"Go get it then," Rachel says. "I'll be waiting."

And the brunette is gone. Quinn stares in the direction of the doorway that Rachel has just disappeared through and eases off the couch, smoothing down her dress. Her departure goes unnoticed by the adults and she exits the house, carefully making her way down the shovelled path to her car. The snowman family that Kurt and Blaine had helped them build the day before watch her with their beady, black eyes. She retrieves the neatly wrapped box from the glove box and forces herself to take deep breaths as she makes her way back towards the house.

Rachel is sitting on the edge of her bed when she pushes the bedroom door open. The brunette bounces up, all smiles and pulls Quinn towards her.

"I'm glad you came tonight," Rachel says, leading her over to the bed. Quinn sits down as Rachel retrieves a neatly wrapped package from her desk drawer. "Do you want to open yours first?"

"Okay," Quinn replies, accepting the gift. It's much bigger than her present for Rachel but then her girlfriend proves that awesome things come in smaller packages. Not that Quinn will ever tell Rachel that to her face. "Wow."

"Do you like it?" Rachel asks, hands wrenching in her lap as she sits down again. "I wasn't sure…"

"I love it," Quinn exclaims, running her fingers over the cover of the comic book. "I've been trying to get this for months!" Rachel blushes as Quinn starts to flip through the pages.

"See? Sometimes I do listen when you go off on your nerdy…"

"Hey!" Quinn protests, though the wide grin splitting her face suggests she's far from annoyed.

"I mean, adorable lamentations about the superior quality of _X2_," Rachel says. "Plus it has Wolverine on the cover and he's your favourite."

"I'm impressed. I'm actually a little bit speechless that you managed to find it," Quinn exhales, unable to stop smiling.

"Ebay," Rachel shrugs shyly and glances towards her unopened present.

"Miss Subtle," Quinn chuckles. "Here's yours."

Rachel rips into the paper and smiles at the box.

"You shouldn't have," she says, sticking out her tongue. She opens the box and frowns at the smaller box inside. A note lies underneath. "Should I open the box first or read the note?"

"The box first," Quinn says, feeling her heart jump as Rachel pops the lid open.

"Quinn, this is too much…" Rachel gasps, holding up the key-shaped pendant.

"Read the note!"

_Rachel,_

_When we're older (and have more money), I'll buy you gifts from Tiffany's._

_Until then, I'll buy you moderately priced imitations._

_The key is for my heart._

_It's yours._

_Q_

Rachel feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes and glances over at her girlfriend. Quinn gives her a nervous smile then feels the air rush out of her as Rachel gathers her up in a bone-crushing hug.

"I love you."

Both girls freeze and Quinn chokes out the words again.

"I love you."

"I love you," Rachel says, the words feeling so natural that she wants to say them over and over again. She pulls back to look at Quinn, eyes shining with unshed tears. "I love you."

"So I heard," Quinn giggles, pressing her forehead against the brunette's. "I love you too."

They gaze at each other, silly grins on their faces until a high-pitched voice interrupts them from the other side of the door.

"I loooooooove you!"

Rachel glares at the door.

"Joshua!" she yells, jumping off the bed and wrenching the door open. Her cousins are standing on the other side, guilty expressions on their faces. "It's rude to listen in on other people's conversations. No more gelt for you. Quinn, call the tickle monster."

"No!" Joshua yells and tries to run away. Rachel is quicker though and drags him into the room. The other two kids crowd in and help Rachel tickle their brother until they all collapse in giggles. Quinn watches in bemusement as her girlfriend is subjected to tickle torture until the brunette's pleas for help force her from her position on the bed.

Eventually the kids tire and Quinn helps Rachel lift them into the upstairs spare room.

"They're cute when they're asleep," Rachel says after she's tucked them in and kissed them all goodnight. They close the door and make their way back to Rachel's room. The brunette retrieves her Hanukkah present and the note, rereading it before smiling and placing it on her bedside table. "So, you're mine?"

"It definitely looks that way," Quinn says, nodding in agreement.

"And you're going to buy me things from Tiffany's?" Rachel asks, sliding her arms around Quinn's waist. "I'd rather have the notes, y'know."

"Then you've just saved me a _lot_ of money, Rach," the blonde chuckles and presses a soft kiss to the brunette's lips. "I love you."

"I will never tire of hearing that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Present Day**

Rachel pauses outside the store, eyes feasting on the window displays. Earrings, necklaces and rings glint back at her and she grins at them before stepping into the store. She starts to wander around, taking in display after display until a sales assistant stops her.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

Rachel whirls around with a smile. The woman's jaw drops when she realises who she's talking to.

"I was told to ask for Laurence," she says. The woman recovers, jaw snapping shut, and nods immediately, her smile brightening.

"Of course, Rachel… Berry. I mean, Miss Berry," she says, stammering over her words and blushing furiously. "We've been looking forward to meeting you all morning! I'll just get Laurence for you."

The woman turns on her heel, leaving Rachel feeling a little more than self-conscious in the middle of the store. An immaculately dressed man returns with the woman and they both beam down at the brunette.

"It's an absolute pleasure to meet you," Laurence says, extending his hand. "If you'll follow me, we've been told that you have to be in a cab by eleven, so time is of the essence."

Rachel wants to roll her eyes at his melodramatic tone but follows after the man to a more secluded area. He retrieves a trademark blue box and her third envelope.

"We've been wondering about the envelope all morning," he gushes.

"This is the third. She's leading me on a treasure hunt, I think," Rachel murmurs, eyes trained on the box. "Can I?"

"Of course, Miss Berry!" Laurence exclaims and pushes the box towards Rachel. She takes a deep breath and flips the lid open.

"Oh Quinn," she sighs, running her fingertip over the pendant. "It's beautiful."

"May I?" Laurence asks, lifting the chain out of the box and holding it up for Rachel to inspect. "It's eighteen carat rose gold. She was very adamant that it have a heart. I think we showed her twenty different pendants before she settled on this one."

"It's perfect," Rachel says. "Thank you."

"Let me," he says, lifting it up and holding it around Rachel's neck. He fastens the clasp and the cool metal falls against her chest. "She said she'd given you something similar?"

"Our first Hanukkah together," Rachel nods. "She said that she'd buy me jewellery from Tiffany's when we were older and richer." Rachel laughs a little. "I never expected her to pick out something so beautiful though."

"She's made a fine choice," Laurence beams, holding up a mirror for Rachel to check her reflection.

"I guess I should open the next envelope too," Rachel says, pushing the mirror away after a few seconds, making a face. Laurence nods eagerly. She's just about to peel the envelope open when her phone buzzes loudly in her pocket. "Speak of the devil," she says, opening the message from her girlfriend.

_Hey you, if you're still at Tiffany's, hurry up! You don't want to be late for your next 'appointment' ;) Love you, Q xx_

Rachel rolls her eyes and shoves her phone back into her pocket. Along with her next note are three more jigsaw pieces and a few bills.

_Remember: it's yours._

_Time to relax. Take a cab (you're not allowed to pay for anything) to 260 5__th__ Avenue._

_Ask for Marcia._

_Love you x_

"I guess I need a cab?" Rachel asks, gathering up her new jigsaw pieces and the bills. Laurence makes a show of carrying her bag to the door and hailing a cab for the brunette. He wishes her luck and waves her off as she climbs in. The driver zooms off into the traffic and pulls up outside 260 5th Avenue a few minutes later.

She pays and jumps out, surveying the building in front of her.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a doorman asks, as she scans the list of businesses next to the doorway.

"I don't exactly know where I'm going," Rachel says apologetically. "I was told to take a cab here and that it's 'time to relax'."

"I'd suggest the seventh floor," the doorman smiles, holding the door open for the brunette.

"Thank you," Rachel says, making her way across the foyer of the building to the elevators. She admires the architecture as she waits, wondering what's on the seventh floor. The elevator rumbles to a stop and the doors open with a soft ping. Three people exit, chattering amongst themselves. Rachel presses the button for the seventh floor and begins to ascend through the building.

_Ohm Spa_

Tentatively looking around, Rachel makes her way to the reception desk. Soft classical music is playing from hidden speakers and everything is decorated in aesthetically pleasing shades of blue. Instantly, Rachel feels any tension drain out of her body.

"Good morning, welcome to Ohm Spa, do you have an appointment?"

"I was told to ask for Marcia," Rachel says. "I don't have a card or anything."

"Rachel?" a voice calls to her right. A dark-haired woman, probably in her mid-thirties, is walking along the corridor. "Veronica, this is the girl! The envelopes!"

"That would be me," Rachel says, reaching up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, "So I have an appointment?"

"We were told that you might be feeling a little stressed out," Marcia says with a smile.

"I wouldn't say _stressed,_" Rachel says. "Quinn knows that I'm not a huge fan of surprises but today's working out pretty well so far." She toys with the pendant hanging around her neck and shrugs. "I'm all yours."

"Then follow me," Marcia says, gesturing down the corridor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rating: **This would be one of the M-rated chapters.

**Chapter 6**

**Second Year of College, Summer Break**

"Relax."

Rachel shuffles into a more comfortable position, exhaling deeply.

"You do realise that by telling me to relax, I'm thinking about relaxing so much that it's making me more tense?"

Shifting her weight slightly, Quinn rolls her eyes and slides her hands down Rachel's sides, fingertips tickling her tan skin. Rachel squirms.

"You're not doing this if there's tickling involved. I refuse to just lie here and let you torture me…"

"Relax," Quinn orders, bending down to press a line of kisses down her girlfriend's spine. Rachel releases a sigh and stills, closing her eyes. "Just relax and enjoy. Okay?"

"Okay," Rachel replies in a small voice. "Just don't hurt me."

"My intention is the complete opposite," Quinn murmurs against the brunette's skin, tracing the tip of her tongue around the edge of the dimples at the bottom of her back. Rachel shivers at the feather light touches and Quinn smiles, straightening up again.

Quinn stretches out her fingers and nudges her knees closer to her girlfriend's side before reaching for the bottle of lotion on her bedside table. She squirts some into the palm of her hand and flips the cap back over.

"This might be a little cold," Quinn whispers, distributing some of the lotion onto her right palm.

"Great," Rachel murmurs, face buried in her folded arms at the foot of the bed. "You locked the door, right?"

"No, Rachel. I told you to strip down, got you to lie face down on my bed, lit a bunch of candles, put on some nice relaxing music and _forgot_ to lock the door," Quinn says, a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice. She sighs and starts to coat Rachel's neck, shoulders and back.

"Your tone is not appreciated, Miss Fabray," Rachel retorts.

"I'm not the one who turned up at my girlfriend's dorm room, exhausted and in pain after a long day of rehearsing, begging for some sort of relief," Quinn muses, grabbing the bottle of lotion again and squirting some directly onto Rachel's skin.

"Quinn!" Rachel exclaims, attempting to roll away from the blonde. Quinn's hands remain firm on the brunette's shoulders, holding her in place.

"Stay," Quinn growls, lowering her body, letting her lips ghost over a spot just behind Rachel's ear. She hears her girlfriend gulp and smiles, resuming her ministrations on the shorter girl's back until she feels that Rachel is ready. "Are you going to be quiet?"

"I'm going to try," Rachel responds, voice once again muffled by her arms.

Quinn chuckles and moves so that she's straddling the brunette's hips.

"I hate that you're wearing shorts, by the way," Rachel notes.

"My hands are covered in lotion," Quinn says, pressing her palms against the other girl's skin. "Now shhh."

"I'll take them off for you," Rachel says, ignoring Quinn's request for her to be quiet.

"Rachel!" Quinn says, balling her hands into fists and kneading her knuckles gently into the tense muscles below her. Rachel groans. "No talking. But feel free to make that noise as often as you want."

Rachel remains silent as Quinn's hands work their way up her back, fingers hitting the right spots with every stroke. She feels the tension start to drain out of her and her eyelids begin to droop.

"Does that feel okay?"

Quinn's voice is hazy, mingling in with the soft music playing from the laptop sitting across the room amid stacks of books that she's borrowed from the local library.

"Heaven," Rachel sighs. "Screw the art degree. I'm employing you full-time to do this."

"You need to get some money first, babe," Quinn smiles. "My rates are extortionate."

"I'll pay you in kisses," Rachel mumbles. "Millions of them. Just… god…" Rachel bites down on her lip. "There."

Quinn's hands return to that spot, thumbs working in circles to relieve the knot of tension. Beneath her, Rachel arches her hips up from the mattress, just enough to rub against Quinn. The blonde's hazel eyes flutter shut and she pauses in her movements.

"Naughty," she whispers, moving her hands outwards across Rachel's back then up towards her neck.

"Mhmm," Rachel makes a noise of agreement. "You really need to lose the shorts."

Quinn ignores her girlfriend, continuing her massage down from Rachel's neck to her shoulders, fingers pushing firmly into the taut muscles. Rachel falls quiet bar the occasional whimper when the fingers find another knot of tension. When Quinn reaches the base of the brunette's spine, she pauses, drawing patterns against the lotion-covered skin.

"North or south?"

Rachel releases a chuckle.

"Your decision," she says. "My right calf could really use some attention though."

Quinn immediately shimmies down the bed, making sure that her nails drag over the curve of Rachel's ass. With a whimper, Rachel arches her hips upwards again, straining for something to rub against, to give her some relief to the ache that's been steadily building since the moment Quinn's hands touched her back.

Kneeling at the base of the bed now, Quinn revels in the sight of her naked girlfriend. The shadows thrown around the room by the candles hit the brunette's body at all the right places and when Rachel glances over her shoulder to see why Quinn has stopped, the blonde takes a shaky breath.

"What?" Rachel asks, blushing under Quinn's intense gaze.

"You're beautiful," Quinn murmurs, fingers manipulating her girlfriend's right calf. Rachel bites down on her lip, grimacing in pain. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she replies, resting her head on her arms once more. "Little higher, please."

Quinn complies, hands inching up towards a tender spot at the back of Rachel's knee. She lets her fingertips tickle the sensitive skin there and Rachel kicks her leg out, missing her intended target completely. Quinn shifts up the bed again as her hands move in circles over the brunette's thigh, hearing Rachel release a sigh.

"How's that?" Quinn asks, feeling her mouth run dry as Rachel slides her left leg outwards, leaving herself exposed. Attempting to restrain herself, Quinn stills and stares. Her girlfriend, her beautiful, naked, exhausted girlfriend, is soaked.

"Higher," Rachel husks out, knowing that Quinn is staring. "Baby?"

A garbled noise leaves the blonde's lips and Rachel smiles.

"Let me turn over?" she asks. Quinn, still staring, raises herself up, moves to the side and waits for Rachel to twist around onto her back. "Hi."

"Hi," Quinn repeats, eyes travelling up over Rachel's body to meet her eyes.

"You're a little distracted," Rachel notes, bending her arm behind her head and leaning back.

"Mhm," Quinn murmurs, pushing Rachel's thighs apart and kneeling between them. Rachel bends her knees and brings them in close to the blonde; her free hand runs over her abdomen, fingers dancing over her skin. Quinn bites down on her lip as she watches Rachel draw a lazy circle around her nipple with her fingertip.

Rachel smirks at the gormless expression on her girlfriend's face and nods at the shorts.

"Off," she says. Quinn gets to her feet, towering above her prone girlfriend, and shimmies out of her shorts, tossing them to the ground. "And the tank." Sighing dramatically, Quinn pulls the white tanktop up over her head. "Better."

Quinn drops back down between the slightly trembling knees, watching as Rachel begins to pull her nipple between her fingers.

"What are you thinking, baby?" Rachel murmurs, her eyes closed and a smile on her face as she palms her breast roughly. Breaking out of her trance, Quinn runs a hand up the inside of Rachel's thighs, settling it between her legs. Rachel's eyes snap open, eyebrow rising. Quinn holds her stare before letting her features fall into a smirk.

"I'm thinking I should give you massages more often," Quinn says, running two fingers through the brunette's folds. Rachel lets out a moan, hips rocking into Quinn's touch. Ripples of sensation spread outwards from her centre when the blonde removes her hand and brings it up to her mouth.

"Quinn…"

Rachel's voice whines as the blonde lets her tongue lap over the tips of her fingers. The taste of Rachel fills her mouth and causes Quinn herself to moan.

"Yes?" Quinn replies, when she's finished, dropping her hand back down between the Rachel's thighs. This time, she runs a single fingertip over Rachel's clit, pressing hard enough to send the shorter woman's hips careening off the bed.

"More," Rachel demands, hand falling from her breast to reach for Quinn's, pushing it harder against her clit.

"Demanding," Quinn says in a sing-song voice but begins to work her fingers in circles over the girl's throbbing clit. Rachel sighs in relief and removes her hand.

"Lie down with me?" Rachel asks, in what she hopes is a less demanding tone. Quinn acquiesces immediately, fingers still diligently working over her girlfriend as she eases her body on top of Rachel's. The feeling of Quinn's skin pressed fully against her own causes Rachel to buck her hips upwards. "I need you… I need to feel you."

With Rachel's voice urging her on, a pair of insistent lips pressing against Quinn's neck, teeth grazing the flesh, Quinn's fingers slip downwards. The wetness that envelopes the tips of her fingers as she pushes inside causes Quinn to moan loudly.

"Fuck," she exhales.

"That's the general idea," Rachel says, arching up into her girlfriend's body, an all-encompassing need to have Quinn as close as physically possible ripping through her. Spurred on by Rachel's moans and kisses, Quinn sinks her fingers in deeper, tight muscles clenching as she starts to thrust. Rachel demands more and without a moment's hesitation, Quinn adds a third finger, slowing slightly as Rachel grimaces.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asks, frowning as she pulls back. "We can…"

"No, just slow," Rachel pants, squeezing her hand down between their bodies and pressing down on Quinn's fingers. "And curl." Quinn's fingertips brush over that spot and Rachel's resulting moan causes Quinn's neighbour to thump heavily on the wall.

Both girls freeze, breathing heavily. Rachel breaks the silence first, giggling slightly.

"Oops," Rachel murmurs, pushing her lips against Quinn's.

"I'll apologise for my beautiful girlfriend in the morning," Quinn says, sliding her fingers into the brunette once more.

"God," Rachel moans.

"Or tell them that she's just converted…"

"Stop talking," Rachel complains. Quinn twists her hand, bringing her thumb over Rachel's clit again.

"Close?" Quinn asks, feeling Rachel shudder beneath her. Hips roll up into hers again and she bites down on her lip as her own hand rocks into her clit.

"Yes," Rachel moans. "Yes… Quinn…"

The blonde curses to herself as the brunette comes apart around her fingers before covering Rachel's mouth with her own.

When she's sure that her girlfriend won't cause her neighbours to file some sort of noise complaint, Quinn pulls away. Rachel gazes back blearily.

"You're very, very good at massages," Rachel says. Quinn chuckles.

"They generally don't end in orgasms at spas, just for future reference."

"Noted," Rachel says, eyes closing briefly, a satisfied smile crossing her face. "How long until your roommate returns?"

"I told Britt to keep her entertained as long as possible. We won't see her until the weekend," Quinn replies, giving Rachel a wink.

"Good," Rachel says. "As soon as I regain the use of my limbs, I'm giving you a massage."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Present Day**

"Rachel."

The voice is hazy. Hazy like a cloud. Hazy like a cloud made of cotton candy and sheep. Sheep.

"Rachel?"

Rachel's eyes snap open and she stares up at the unfamiliar woman. In an unfamiliar room. The woman is holding a brown stone in each hand.

"You fell asleep," the woman says helpfully.

The massage. That's right. Rachel sighs happily. She feels like she's floating. Floating on a cloud. More clouds. Making sure that a towel is wrapped around her, she sits up and stretches her back out, surprised when she feels none of the usual knots dotted around her shoulders. There's a strange coiling sensation curling in her stomach which spreads outwards to her arms and legs. She feels utterly amazing.

"How do you feel?"

"Relaxed," Rachel sighs again. "Happy. On top of the world. Amazing. Like a cloud."

The woman gives her a perplexed look and helps Rachel down from the bed.

"I'll let you change. Just come back to reception when you're ready. No rush!" she says and backs out of the room. She closes the door and heads towards the front desk to retrieve the next envelope.

Rachel makes her appearance a few minutes later, a bounce in her step. She spots the envelope in Marcia's hands and makes a beeline for it. Her stomach flips over with anticipation at Quinn's next surprise. She's actually surprised that her girlfriend has managed to keep all of this a secret, especially when Rachel's best friend could fill Page 6 with all the gossip he manages to find out from his various sources.

Marcia hands over the envelope and Rachel tears into it eagerly. Three more jigsaw pieces sit at the bottom and another note.

_See? They don't all end in the big O._

Rachel blushes and tips the card away from the masseuse's prying eyes.

_Unless Marcia is as good at massages as I am. _

_Anyway…_

_Time to call the gossip queen and catch up._

_He'll be waiting with a plate of Boccone Dolce._

_Love you x_

Rachel grins so wide that it physically hurts. A dress, a necklace, a massage and now lunch with her best friend at her favourite restaurant in New York. Rachel briefly wonders if there's some sort of 'Best Girlfriend' competition she can enter Quinn in.

"So?" Marcia and the receptionist ask in unison.

"She's booked a table at Sardi's," Rachel squeals.

"She's been leaving you notes all over New York then?" the receptionist asks. Rachel nods, gathering up her bag and sliding the latest envelope alongside the others.

"This is the fourth so far," Rachel beams. "It's a thing she does. The notes. This is the first treasure hunt she's ever led me on though."

"So romantic," Marcia says, sighing. "My boyfriend is going to get a serious talking to when I get home tonight. He barely remembers my birthday."

With the two women exchanging increasingly woeful stories about their boyfriend's lacklustre attempts at romance, Rachel makes her exit. She hails a cab, heart clenching as they turn onto Broadway. _Home_. She passes by the theatre where her face smiles out from the bills next to the doors and shakes her head in disbelief.

'_How did this become my life?_' she thinks to herself. The cab draws to a halt and a sharply-dressed young man pulls open the door.

"Oh my god, it's Rachel Berry," he exclaims, wrapping her up in a bone-crushing hug. "You're late."

"I wasn't given the schedule for today!" Rachel mutters, breaking out of Kurt's embrace. She leans over to toss money at the cab driver through the window and turns back to her best friend. "What do you know?"

"Nothing!" he cries, holding up his hands. "I know nothing. Nothing about today or Quinn's plans or the envelopes…" he draws out the last word, producing the next note from behind his back.

"I hate you," Rachel says with a grin before leading him inside. She's greeted, as always, with smiles and waves from people she recognises and some she doesn't. Kurt keeps close to her, arm around her waist as they're led to one of the best tables in the restaurant.

"So, how's your morning been?"

"Outstanding," Rachel nods enthusiastically after ordering a glass of ice water. "You told Quinn about the dress, right?"

Kurt nods, a bashful smile crossing his lips.

"And the necklace?" Rachel holds up the pendant for him to inspect.

"That's all Quinn," he says. "It's like the Hanukkah one, isn't it? But with a heart at the top…"

"And from Tiffany's," Rachel sighs happily. "She always promised she buy me things from Tiffany's."

"And what came after the necklace?" he asks, taking a glance at his menu.

"A massage at a place on 5th. My body is in heaven right now," Rachel says, the heat from the stones still coursing through her body. "So after lunch, what's happening? Do you know anything?"

"I don't know a thing," Kurt replies. "All she had me do was organise Melanie and the dress and turn up here, but she told me that I had to keep my afternoon free so I'm betting that whatever's in here…" he holds up the envelope again, "… involves me too."

Rachel moves to grab the envelope but Kurt holds it above his head with a triumphant look.

"Not until dessert is here," he says and sits on the envelope.

"Don't! You might bend the jigsaw pieces!"

Kurt stares at her in confusion.

"Pardon me?" he asks, retrieving the envelope.

"The jigsaw pieces!" Rachel repeats. Kurt gestures for her to continue. "Every envelope has jigsaw pieces in it. I have twelve pieces so far."

"Really? Miss Fabray was mute on the subject of jigsaw pieces. Have you tried putting them together?" he asks, feeling the envelope now for the pieces. After finding the three, he puts the envelope down on the seat next to him.

"I haven't exactly had much time," Rachel says. "Maybe I should wait until I have all the pieces." She frowns in contemplation. Kurt glances at his menu again and signals for the waiter to come over.

"Are you just having your usual, Rachel?" he asks, interrupting her thoughts. She nods and goes back to staring dreamily at the portraits on the walls. Kurt orders their food and waves a hand in front of the far away Rachel. "What are you thinking about?"

"High school," Rachel snaps out of her reverie. "It's a little surreal, right?"

"William McKinley High… surreal… I suppose so," Kurt muses. Rachel pushes him away with a soft jab.

"I mean, what's happened since then… you, me, New York… we're in relationships, we're both successful," Rachel tails off, staring up at the portraits on the wall again. "Surreal."

"Yes," Kurt laughs. "It's very surreal. And wonderful."

"Definitely wonderful," Rachel nods in agreement. "Have I ever thanked you for your Quinntervention?"

"We promised we'd never use that word again," Kurt says nervously, glancing around the busy restaurant.

"She isn't here!" Rachel says.

"She has ears like a bat, Rachel. Especially when it comes to that word."

"Oh shush," Rachel says. "Anyway, your Quinntervention backfired. Thankfully. If anything, it probably sped the process of us getting together along."

"True," Kurt says brightening. "Very true."

The waiter interrupts them with plates of food and after a quick toast to each other's health, they begin to tuck in, minds preoccupied with the memory of that day the week before their senior year started.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Week Before Senior Year Started**

"Rachel, we need to talk."

Rachel looks up from her phone, squinting at her best friend.

"In a sec," she replies and concentrates on the screen again, fingers tapping as quickly as possible. She tries to suppress the smile threatening to split her face in half by biting down on the corner of her mouth.

"Oh for the love of…" Kurt snatches the phone and places it face down on the coffee table.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaims, trying to reach the phone. He throws it to Mercedes on the other side of the room who catches it neatly in the palm of her left hand and clicks it off. Rachel jumps off the couch and makes her way towards Mercedes who in turn stuffs the phone into her shirt, staring defiantly up at the shorter girl. "Don't think I won't go in there!"

"Girl, I would like to see you try!" Mercedes smirks in response and Rachel stops in her tracks, contemplating the best way to retrieve her phone and with it, the texts from Quinn she's been receiving incessantly for the past half an hour.

"Rachel?" Kurt tries again. She turns to look at him and sighs, flopping back down onto the couch next to her best friend.

"What?" she asks, folding her arms and pouting.

"The pout no longer works on us," Kurt informs her, leaning back into the couch cushions. Blaine, on his other side, gives his shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

"Rachel, we're concerned," Blaine says. Rachel quirks her eyebrow at him. "Maybe concerned is the wrong word. Confused?" He looks at Mercedes and Kurt for clarification. Both nod in response. "We're confused."

"Confused about…?" Rachel asks, looking at each of them in turn. Kurt and Mercedes exchange a grimace.

"Recently, we've noticed that you seem to be spending a lot more time with someone. We're not here to judge or anything…" Blaine says, leaning forwards and smiling in, what he hopes is, a supportive manner.

"It's just a little… odd," Kurt continues. "Especially because you've spent more time fighting with her than making nice…"

"Enough tiptoeing around!" Mercedes interjects. "We want to know what's going on with you and Quinn."

Rachel's jaw drops and she flounders for a few seconds.

"What's going on with me and Quinn?" she repeats, slightly astounded by the implications of their words. "Nothing."

"You can't expect us to believe that," Kurt says kindly, placing a hand on Rachel's arm. "Since we arrived an hour ago, you've spent more time tapping away on your phone than you have talking to us and I know that Finn is helping Burt at the garage today so it can't be him…"

"I text other people!" Rachel says indignantly.

"It's not just the texts," Mercedes interrupts. "Kurt says that you barely see Finn…"

"He's busy with the garage and football games with Burt… I can't help it if I've had to cancel a few dates here and there," Rachel says, still reeling somewhat from the round-about accusation that she's cheating on Finn with Quinn.

"Twelve out of fourteen," Kurt murmurs.

"You kept count?" Rachel's tone turns to one of incredulity. "I wasn't aware that my lovelife is of any concern to you…"

"You're our friend, Rachel. We just don't want you to get hurt by whatever game Quinn is playing with you," Kurt responds, hand clasping tighter on the brunette's arm as Rachel frowns deeply. She briefly thinks through the way she acts with Quinn, looking for any sign or signal of the blonde's supposed game-playing. "She probably wants Finn back."

Rachel lets out a guffaw, pitching forwards as the laughter leaves her mouth.

"Quinn doesn't want Finn," Rachel says between giggles. "She's constantly telling me that I can do better than him."

"Don't you think that _maybe_ she's saying that so that you _will_ break up with him and she can swoop back in?"

"No," Rachel replies. "She claims to have 'seen the light' when it comes to Finn." Rachel stands up and walks towards Mercedes, holding out her hand. The other girl fishes into her top and removes the phone, slapping it back into Rachel's palm.

After switching it back on, Rachel sinks back into the sofa, nudging into Kurt. Three messages come through almost immediately, all of them bearing Quinn's name.

"She thinks I'm ignoring her now," Rachel murmurs, tapping out a quick response and putting her phone down. "She needs friends, okay? She's had a lot to deal with over the past year, with Beth and the truth about her past surfacing…" Rachel sighs heavily. "Mercedes, she lived with you! Do you really think she'd use me this way just to get Finn back?"

Mercedes makes a face.

"I don't know what to think anymore."

"Quinn and I are friends. We have fun together and that's it," Rachel says firmly. "Now, if you're finished, I have things to do."

"With Quinn?" Kurt asks.

"Yes. We're going to the movies," Rachel says. "Do you want to come?"

"I have to help my mom out at home," Mercedes says, getting to her feet. Kurt and Blaine make their excuses too and leave with Mercedes. Rachel waves as they pile into the other girl's car and closes the door, lost in her thoughts as she makes her way up to her bedroom.

Another text arrives from Quinn as she's getting ready to go to the cinema.

_Popcorn is on me if you get over here in the next five minutes. I don't want to miss the previews! Q x_

She sits on the end of her bed and frowns at the message. Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine's words have caught onto something that's been niggling at the back of her brain since she started hanging out with Quinn. She shakes her head. Quinn isn't this good an actress. Is she?

Her thoughts become more jumbled on the way over to Dudley Road. The blonde is waiting on her porch, head bobbing along to the music playing on her headphones. She hops to her feet when Rachel pulls up in front of the house and yells a goodbye to her mom.

Quinn slides into the passenger seat and flashes her friend a grin.

"Five minutes and forty-eight seconds. Popcorn is on you," she says triumphantly, holding up her watch for the brunette to inspect, before noticing the look on Rachel's face. "What?" She slides off her sunglasses and frowns. "Is something wrong?"

Rachel shakes her head, brightening.

"Just a long morning," she says, putting her car in gear and heading down the street.

"Did Madame work you a little too hard?" Quinn smirks, folding the legs of her sunglasses and tossing them into the glove box.

Rachel nods her agreement, preoccupied by the traffic coming from every direction at the intersection she's reached.

"I'm a little out of shape too, which doesn't help," Rachel says, eyes still on the road. She misses the look Quinn gives her.

"Have you seen you?" the blonde asks, pressing a few buttons on the dash until she finds a radio station playing some classic sixties rock.

"What?" Rachel asks, turning left then right. The cinema looms up ahead, attached to the mall.

"You're not exactly a heifer, Rachel. I bet more heads would turn if you dressed like this at school," Quinn gestures to the brunette's outfit. Rachel pulls up into a parking spot and looks down. She's wearing jeans and a shirt.

"I like the way I dress at school," she says with a preoccupied shrug. In silence, they make their way towards the Cineplex until Quinn takes Rachel's hand as they reach the doors.

"Talk to me," Quinn says, pulling her friend out of the way of the people trying to exit. "You're a million miles away and I want to know why. Did Kurt or Mercedes do something to upset you?"

"No," Rachel says. "They've made me think about some things though." Rachel takes a deep breath. "I think we should talk. After the movie. If that's okay?"

"And now I'm going to worry all the way through…" Quinn groans before squeezing Rachel's hand. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Rachel says, squeezing the blonde's hand in return. "Let's go watch the movie then it's Mexican Friday. Dad is working late and daddy is out of town for the night. We'll talk then."

"Okay," Quinn says, dropping Rachel's hand as they walk inside. "Maybe I'll give you a massage. Ease your aches and pains."

Rachel laughs and rolls her eyes. Then she pauses slightly as an unfamiliar sensation passes over her. Her mind transports her to a place where she's lying facedown on her bed and Quinn is kneeling above her. Hands are working out the knots in her shoulders and moving downwards…

"Rachel!" Quinn cries, reaching out to catch the brunette but she's too late. Rachel twists around as the ropes that form the queue for tickets ensnare her and she topples to the floor, clattering metal poles as she goes. Quinn is above her immediately to help her up, inspecting her hands for any sign of damage. A few cinema employees gather around as well to right the toppled poles and fix the ropes for the queue. When everything settles once more, Quinn turns to the other girl, concern clearly written on her face. "Two million miles away. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rachel insists. "Just a little embarrassed."

"I'll get the popcorn," Quinn says, nudging her shoulder against the brunette's. Rachel feels another jolt somewhere inside and blushes slightly. Luckily the foyer's lightning is incredibly dim and Quinn fails to notice the red tinge across Rachel's cheeks. They pay for their tickets and Quinn queues up to pay for the popcorn and drinks. Rachel watches her friend tap her foot as she waits, an unheard song playing in her head. The brunette's gaze travels up over Quinn's legs, subconsciously pausing slightly south of the blonde's waist. She feels herself colour again and quickly slides her gaze upwards to watch Quinn interact with the cashier.

A short laugh escapes from Quinn's lips and she shyly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as the girl behind the counter beams and hands Quinn her food. Rachel frowns, recognising the lingering stare the girl uses as Quinn walks away.

"What are you frowning at?" Quinn asks, handing a bag of popcorn to the shorter girl.

"She was checking you out," Rachel hisses as they walk towards their screen. Quinn passes the tickets over to the steward.

"She was?" Quinn asks, standing to the side to let Rachel pass before sinking down into the aisle seat.

"Yes!" Rachel exclaims. "When you turned away, she was definitely staring at you."

Quinn shoots her friend a bemused look.

"You were checking out the girl checking me out?" Quinn asks, more for Rachel's reaction than anything else. She's well aware that the girl behind the counter watched her walk away.

"What? No! Of course not!" Rachel splutters. Quinn smirks and throws a piece of popcorn at the brunette.

"Relax, Rachel," Quinn drawls before leaning towards the brunette to bump her shoulder with her own. "So what if she was checking me out?"

Rachel frowns into her bag of popcorn before lifting a couple of pieces to her mouth. Quinn assumes that she won't get a reply to the question and turns to face the screen, waiting in anticipation for the previews to start rolling.

Rachel, however, has different plans.

"She was kinda cute," Rachel says airily. "If you're into blondes."

Quinn raises an eyebrow and smiles.

"I wouldn't rule out blondes," she says. "I prefer brunettes."

A nervous knot starts to form in her stomach. They're entering dangerous territory. Quinn has yet to tell anyone of her probable leanings towards the same sex and sitting in a darkened cinema screen with her current crush (and friend) doesn't seem like the best time to start.

"Noted," Rachel says simply with a nod. "And girls?"

Quinn chokes on the sip of coke she's just taken. Rachel's eyes go wide and she places her things on the floor to reach across and pat Quinn's back until the other girl stops coughing.

"Well, there's my answer to that question," Rachel muses.

"Good job, Rach," Quinn mutters.

"You know it doesn't matter to me," Rachel says, sliding her hand into Quinn's. Quinn smiles shakily and then the lights dim. Rachel lets go of her hand and reaches down to pick up her popcorn before settling back in her chair. She flashes Quinn a reassuring smile and turns her attention to the screen.

**xxxxx**

Before either girl realises it, they're back at Rachel's house and sitting side by side on the couch where a few hours ago, Rachel had tried to convince her friends that nothing is going on with Quinn. Her friend, Quinn. Quinn who is sitting ridiculously close. Rachel wants to reach out and take her hand and see how well their fingers link together…

"What did you want to talk about before?" Quinn asks, attempting to put off what she's sure will be the most in-depth talk about her sexuality she'll ever have. "Before the amusing tripping incident?"

"We don't have to talk about that now…" Rachel says, trying to stop herself from fixating on Quinn's fingers which are drumming against what the brunette can only imagine are incredibly toned abs.

"No, I want to," Quinn replies firmly. "Please. Tell me."

"Okay," Rachel nods. "Kurt, Mercedes and Blaine came over seeking reassurance. Or to do some sort of intervention…"

"Reassurance?" Quinn asks, frowning at the brunette. "Why?"

"They think… they think that you've befriended me in some of scheme to get Finn back."

"Right," Quinn says, trying to force a smile. "What did you tell them?"

"That it's ridiculous," Rachel says. "That you've 'seen the light' so to speak. I understand why…"

"You don't understand," Quinn says, jumping off the sofa; the need to do something - pace, jump around, leave, anything – overcomes her. Rachel watches as Quinn grows more agitated by the second and reaches out to grab the blonde's hand.

"I understand," Rachel repeats, eyes locking onto Quinn's.

"What?" Quinn asks hollowly, stomach twisting, legs turning to jelly. Is Rachel implying what she thinks she's implying? "What?" she repeats.

"I understand," Rachel repeats once more before standing up to take Quinn's other hand.

"So, you're saying…" Quinn tails off, knees trembling as she allows herself to look at Rachel more closely than she usually does. The shorter girl's deep brown eyes stare back at her.

"I don't think it's entirely out of the realm of possibility…"

"Less words, Rachel. This is the time for less words," Quinn says, laughing softly. The brunette blushes slightly and rolls her eyes.

"I like you," Rachel says. Quinn feels her heart soar. She wants to do cartwheels around the Berry's living room then run into the backyard and do some flips for good measure. "Watching that girl check you out earlier pretty much confirmed it for me. I felt jealous."

"Jealous?" Quinn asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You were being all shy and… cute with her."

"Rach, she asked if we were dating because we look cute together," Quinn replies, suddenly aware that her hands are still gripping onto the brunette's. Rachel makes no move to take her hands back so Quinn continues holding them, squeezing them in her own. Rachel looks down and smiles.

"There's a problem though," Rachel says, staring at their linked hands, how perfectly they actually _do_ fit together.

"Yeah," Quinn says, deflating slightly.

"I'll talk to him," Rachel says, glancing up to meet Quinn's eyes again. She smiles reassuringly and Quinn exhales a little shakily.

"So they really thought I was hanging out with you just to get Finn back?" she asks. Rachel nods, guiding Quinn back to the couch. "Remind me to tell them that they're the worst interventioners ever."

"I'm pretty sure that isn't a word," Rachel giggles, dropping one of Quinn's hands to cup the blonde's cheek. "You look terrified."

"I am," Quinn admits.

"Don't be," Rachel whispers, pad of her thumb caressing Quinn's cheek. The blonde's eyes drift shut and she turns into Rachel's touch, pressing her lips to the shorter girl's thumb. "I think we should order dinner."

"Good idea," Quinn says, opening her eyes and nodding. "Definitely a good idea."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Present Day**

"Dessert?" Kurt interrupts Rachel's flashback and smiles at her.

"Absolutely," she says. "Otherwise, I don't get my note."

Kurt signals for the waiter, orders their favourite and looks closely at his best friend.

"You were a thousand miles away," he muses, reaching over to touch her arm.

"Try a million," Rachel replies, placing a hand on top of his. "I was thinking about the intervention."

"Quinntervention," Kurt whispers with a grin. "I think you and Quinn would have ended up together regardless of whether or not we tried to convince you that she only wanted Finn."

Rachel cringes a little, remembering her breakup with Kurt's stepbrother.

"I can't believe you let him breakup with you first! Or that you ended up calling him an uncultured hillbilly," Kurt stifles a giggle.

"It was a heat of the moment thing. Can we not talk about Finn? This is supposed to be a happy day!" Rachel groans, folding her arms and laying her head down on top of them. Kurt reaches across to tousle her hair. She lifts her head slightly and gives him a look. "It's dessert time, does that mean I get my note?" She straightens up and flattens down her messy hair.

"Not until it's on the table," Kurt says, drumming his fingers impatiently as he watches for the waiter. He's intrigued by the contents of the envelope too.

He's known his best friend's girlfriend has been planning something for weeks now. It started with the shopping trip. Quinn had told Kurt to keep an eye out for anything that Rachel might want to buy but to steer her away to something else if it was something fancy. They'd met a couple of days later to take another look at the dress.

"It's perfect," Quinn had said, running her hand over the bodice. "It's just like the dress she wore when I took her to Cleveland."

"I'll ask them to keep it to one side, if you want? My friend Melanie will take care of everything."

Then came the texts about keeping this afternoon free and that he couldn't say anything to Rachel. Kurt had rolled his eyes and then another text arrived.

_I mean it, Kurt. Please don't tell her._

Then last night Quinn had turned up on her way home from work and passed him an envelope bearing Rachel's name, told him to be at Sardi's for lunch the next day and then disappeared. He tried yelling after her but no response came.

"Kurt?" Rachel asks, prodding his shoulder with her index finger. "You weren't listening!"

"I'm sorry," he replies. "I'm back, I promise. What were you saying?"

The waiter chooses that moment to interrupt them with dessert and Rachel practically bounces in her seat as she holds out her hand to Kurt. He passes the white envelope over and watches her rip into it. Three jigsaw pieces land on the table, dangerously close to their plates, and her eyes feast on the note.

_If Kurt managed to resist your puppy dog eyes until dessert, give him a hug from me. There wasn't actually a reason for him to wait. (Sorry, Kurt.)_

Rachel giggles and shows her best friend before they continue reading together.

_Time for a different set of notes._

_You told me to dream big, Rach. _

_Well, now it's time for __you__ to act 'Big'._

_Love you x_

Rachel frowns at the note.

"Act Big?" Kurt asks, turning the note over to see if there's any more information. "Have all of her clues been this cryptic?"

"No," Rachel shakes her head. "They've all had addresses or places mentioned or _really_ obvious clues." She places the note on the table. "Let's think."

"A different set of notes," Kurt muses, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So, she doesn't mean written notes…" he gestures to the piece of card on the table. "Music notes?"

"Music notes!" Rachel says triumphantly. "Okay. Music… does she want me to sing? I could sing now…"

"Rachel, please," Kurt says. "This is the first lunch in months we've managed to get through without being interrupted by some adoring fan. Can you imagine what they'd do if you started to sing? There'd be mass fawning. Or fainting."

"I love my adoring fans," Rachel insists, ignoring Kurt's mock-faint. "Stop distracting me. We need to figure this out."

"I've already figured out half of it," Kurt says airily, waving his hand.

"Hardly," Rachel says, reaching for her fork to scoop up a piece of her dessert. Her eyes fall shut as she lets the flavours and the texture of the food swirl around her mouth. "Heaven," she mutters after she's swallowed her first bite.

"Act Big… act Big…" Kurt is murmuring to himself, fingers tracing over the card now.

"It's weird that big has a capital B," Rachel muses, taking another bite and wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Like it's the title of something."

Kurt smacks his hand down on the table a few moments later causing the cutlery and glasses to jump.

"Got it!" he exclaims. Rachel gapes at him. "I've got it. Big!"

"Yes," Rachel nods blankly. "Big."

"The movie, Big," Kurt expands ever so slightly. There's a moment's hesitation before Rachel's eyes light up.

"She wants me to call up Tom Hanks and perform a musical number in front of the Empire State Building!"

Now it's Kurt's turn to gape at his best friend. He reaches out his hand and places it on top of Rachel's, patting it gently.

"Not quite," he says kindly. "And when did you meet Tom Hanks?"

"Some play…" Rachel says and shakes her head dismissively. "That's not the point right now."

"No, it isn't. The point is that we need to get to FAO Schwarz."

"FAO Schwarz? The toy store?" Rachel asks, forehead crinkling as she tries to connect all the pieces together. Music notes. Big. FAO Schwarz.

"Take your time, Rachel…"

"Oh! The giant piano!" Rachel says, pounding the table once with her fist in triumph.

"The giant piano," Kurt repeats, proud of his clue-solving abilities. He starts to devour his dessert while Rachel plans her setlist. "Do you think we should try fitting them together?" he asks, picking up a couple of the jigsaw pieces to see if they match when his plate is much emptier.

Rachel shakes her head.

"What's the point if I don't have all the pieces?" she asks. "I'm assuming it's the final clue and I want it to be a surprise like the rest of today."

"Your self-restraint is impressive," Kurt notes, putting down the pieces he's been attempting to force together. "So, we should go?"

"Yes!" Rachel says, taking one last bite of her dessert. The waiter appears but shakes his head when Rachel pulls out money to pay for the meal.

"It's been settled," he says, lifting the plates and stacking them along his arm. Rachel rolls her eyes and leaves a couple of bills on the table anyway. Kurt takes Rachel's bags when she stops to sign a couple of autographs and pause for a quick photo on her way out. "Superstar," he whispers in her ear as they leave.

"Shush," Rachel blushes and pushes him away. "Now, get me a cab!"

He shoots her a look before they share a grin. A cab pulls up and they hop inside.

"What's the significance of the piano?" Kurt asks, breaking Rachel's reverie as she stares at her city pass her by.

"Huh?" she asks, turning to look at him.

"Well, the dress is similar to the one you wore on your first date…"

"It wasn't a date!" Rachel interjects.

"Fine, the first time Quinn drove you across the state to watch one of your favourite musicals," he grins. "The necklace is like your first Hanukkah present from her. The massage… well, we've _all_ heard how dexterous Quinn is when it comes to massages."

"Please stop," Rachel says, blushing a furious shade of red.

"Sardi's with me… well, that's a no-brainer," he ticks the final thing off his list. "So why the giant piano?"

"It's corny…"

"Corny is one of the things we do best, Rachel," he chuckles. "Tell me."


	10. Chapter 10

**Rating: **M

**Notes: **Thanks for all your reviews/comments so far and for liking the story!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Summer Before College**

Quinn is flat out on the couch, eyes closed, feet tapping against thin air to the music coming out of her headphones. She starts to mouth along with the lyrics, fingers twitching along with the notes, alternating from piano to guitar to drums. She's so completely lost in the music that she fails to hear the doorbell ring. She fails to hear her mom greet her girlfriend or Rachel's light footsteps down the hallway towards the den.

She continues air-drumming along with a particularly difficult solo before slipping back into the guitar section, strumming at nothing while her left hand attempts to form the shapes of the chords she's watched her uncle play every Thanksgiving, Christmas and 4th of July.

Rachel leans against the doorframe, a grin on her face as her girlfriend continues to wow the crowd at her imaginary concert.

"Dork," she whispers under her breath, waiting for Quinn to finish her song. She hits the final chord and makes a face, eyes fluttering open.

"Oh shit!" she exclaims, spotting Rachel in the doorway. She yanks her headphones out as her girlfriend doubles over in giggles.

"Language, Quinn!" her mom trills from the direction of the kitchen.

Rachel makes her way to the couch, gasping for air as the blonde rights herself and tries to sink back into the squishy cushions, wishing that they'd swallow her whole.

"Hey," Rachel finally says, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, still gasping for air. Quinn remains silent and picks up a cushion, flinging it out towards her girlfriend's shaking form. "Hey!" The cushion hits Rachel once more with a dull thud. The brunette picks up her own cushion and leaps off the couch out of Quinn's reach, assuming a fighting stance.

Quinn jumps up, holding her cushion up as a shield, gesturing for Rachel to advance.

"Girls?" Judy's disembodied head appears around the doorframe and she gasps. "Put the silk-covered cushions down now. Those were imported!" Immediately, two cushions drop to the floor and Quinn and Rachel avoid looking at each other for fear that they'll burst out laughing. Judy bustles into the room, gathering up the cushions and clutching them to her chest. "I'm going out. Try to behave?"

"Yes, Mrs Fabray,"Rachel says.

"Yes, mom," Quinn intones, sneaking a glance at her girlfriend. Rachel's shoulders are shaking, hair falling into her eyes, teeth biting down on her bottom lip. Quinn feels a rush of… something. It starts near her stomach and spreads outwards causing a smile to crash onto her face.

Judy leaves, cushions in tow and Rachel sniggers, reaching out a hand to take Quinn's.

"Hey," Rachel says, taking a step closer.

"Hi," Quinn whispers, sliding an arm around the shorter girl's waist. "Movie day?"

"You pick first," Rachel says, pushing up on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

Quinn hums and pushes Rachel towards the couch, promising to be back in a few minutes. Rachel settles against the soft cushions and reaches for Quinn's iPod. She scrolls through the playlists, stopping on an unfamiliar one, one that makes her heart rate speed up.

_Songs for Rachel_

Forty songs stare back at her. Forty. She skips over the first two, recognising the names of the artists and the titles of the tracks before pulling up short at the third. She clicks the play button and pushes one of the buds into her ear.

"Rach, I can't decide between…" Quinn pauses in the doorway, DVD boxes in both hands. Rachel hastily pauses the song and glances guiltily up at her girlfriend. "What were you listening to?"

"Nothing!" Rachel says, tossing the iPod to the other end of the couch.

"You are an awful, awful liar, Ms Berry," Quinn chuckles, handing the boxes over to the blushing brunette. "It really makes me wonder how you'll ever make it on Broadway." She retrieves the iPod and settles down next to Rachel.

Rachel gasps and nudges her shoulder into Quinn indignantly.

"I'm kidding," Quinn says, turning her attention to her discarded iPod. "Oh… great, now I have to think of something else for our anniversary."

"What?"

"I was going to make you some CD's," Quinn shrugs. "Among other things."

"Other things?" Rachel asks. "Our anniversary isn't for two months!"

"I like being prepared," Quinn says, shrugging again.

"Your shrugging infuriates me," Rachel grumbles. Quinn's shoulders twitch upwards and Rachel groans, turning her attention to the movies in her lap. "And I told you to pick…"

"I'm picking!" Quinn says and closes her eyes, her hand hovering the boxes. "I choose…" She circles her hand towards Rachel, wiggling her fingers to tickle the brunette's side.

"Quinn!" Rachel exclaims, trying to squirm away.

"This one!" Quinn's fingers pluck a box and she holds it up for the brunette to give a nod or a shake of her head.

"Okay," Rachel says with a nod.

"Your enthusiasm is… not quite what I expected," Quinn frowns, reaching for another movie.

"We'll watch that one," Rachel says, smile brightening. "I don't think I've ever watched it before."

Quinn gasps in mock horror and hops off the couch.

"If you hate it, we'll watch Chicago or something," she turns to give Rachel a shrug, sticking out her tongue.

"Just because my future is on the stage and because I have a very slight crush on Catherine Zeta Jones…"

Quinn snorts as she joins Rachel on the couch again. The brunette tails off as she snuggles into Quinn's side, head resting on the taller girl's shoulder, hand on her thigh.

"Comfortable?" Quinn asks, turning to place a kiss to the top of Rachel's head.

"Very much so," Rachel replies with a happy sigh. Quinn presses play and they sit in silence for a few minutes. "So, it's a cartoon?" Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Yes," she replies. "It's a good one too."

"But why are Batman and Superman both in it?" Rachel asks, looking at the box again.

"I'll explain later," Quinn says. "Just watch. You'll miss it if you keep talking."

Rachel attempts to hide her smile but Quinn isn't looking at her anyway. She isn't in the mood for superhero cartoons. Or Chicago for that matter. Or any of the DVDs stacked on the floor. But it's Quinn's choice so she tries.

She tries to stay focused as Supergirl crashes to earth. She tries to stay focused during the opening credits. She tries to stay focused when the good guys whip the blonde Supergirl to another planet. Or island. Or whatever. She really tries but her focus keeps pulling towards the blonde on her left.

And she tries. She really tries.

But it doesn't stop her hand from stroking upwards over the thin material of the shorts Quinn's wearing. It doesn't stop her from turning the upper half of her body and pressing it harder against Quinn's side.

"You really want to watch Chicago, huh?" Quinn muses, teeth running over her bottom lip as Rachel's fingers edge a little higher, stroking a little harder.

"Not really," Rachel exhales. She watches her girlfriend shiver and their eyes lock, Quinn's darkening as she takes in the look on Rachel's face.

"You could have just told me you weren't in the mood for a movie," Quinn says, sliding her hand on top of Rachel's. The brunette stills and gives a little half-shrug.

"You know that those shorts have a habit of distracting me," Rachel murmurs, hand moving out from beneath Quinn's, nestling between the blonde's thighs. She lets a single knuckle trail over the thin barrier and smiles at the choked noise that escapes her girlfriend's mouth.

"My mom…"

"It's Wednesday," Rachel reminds her. "She won't be home until after dinner."

"I find it adorable and slightly weird that you have my mother's schedule memorised," Quinn says, exhaling sharply when Rachel's hand twitches between her legs again.

"Stop talking about your mom when I'm seconds from ripping those shorts off of you," Rachel says with a groan. Quinn chuckles and pushes Rachel's hand away. She pauses the movie and turns to face the brunette.

"Move," she says, nodding her head towards the end of the couch. Rachel complies immediately, backing up against the cushions until she's leaning against the arm of the sofa, heart thudding so loudly that she's surprised Quinn can't hear it. The blonde tucks her legs up onto the couch and maneuverers herself into a crawling position, making her way up towards her girlfriend. Rachel feels her thighs pushed apart but her eyes never leave Quinn's.

Not until her girlfriend twists around and sits down between her thighs. With a smirk, Quinn backs up a little more and then leans against Rachel, picking up the remote to start the movie once more.

"Comfortable?" Rachel asks, sliding her arms around the taller woman's waist.

"Very, you make a good cushion," Quinn says, pushing back a little harder against Rachel to emphasise her point.

"Good to hear," Rachel murmurs, letting her fingers run over the skin above the waistband of Quinn's shorts. The blonde has fallen quiet though, eyes focused on the television. Rachel's fingertips draw patterns and start to spell out letters.

"Leaving a note for me?" Quinn asks. Rachel's fingers still as the blonde's voice washes over her. She spells out 'no' causing Quinn to chuckle. "Liar."

Rachel sticks out her tongue.

"I saw that," Quinn says, twisting around to look at her girlfriend, a smirk on her lips.

"Turn around," Rachel says and waits for Quinn to settle once more. Pushing Quinn's tank top up as she goes, her hands immediately slide up over Quinn's toned stomach and cup the blonde's breasts. She feels Quinn exhale sharply and smiles, kneading both breasts with her palms.

"God, Rach," Quinn moans, arching into the touch. It's a sound that Rachel's come to relish since the first time she wrapped her lips around Quinn's nipple and gave it a playful tug. Images from their first time start to flood her memory, not that thoughts of Quinn above her, under her, beside her, _inside _her ever stray far from her thoughts.

Quinn's hands on her own bring Rachel back to the present. The blonde brushes the persistent hands away and undoes the front clasp of her bra, removing the offending article and tossing it to the floor.

"Better?" Rachel asks, hands cupping once more. She lets her thumbs circle over Quinn's hardened nipples and is rewarded with another moan.

"Yes," Quinn hisses between her teeth. Her hands fall away and take up residence on the brunette's denim-clad thighs.

"Harder?" Rachel asks, not waiting for Quinn's reply. She pulls the blonde's nipples between her thumbs and index fingers causing Quinn to cry out and sink her nails through the material covering Rachel's thighs. "Sorry," Rachel says, soothing the pain with softer strokes and gentle tugs.

"No, it was good," Quinn says, scowling at the whimper she lets out when Rachel takes her hands away for a few seconds. "It was amazing."

"Better," Rachel says, resuming her ministrations. Quinn tries to focus on the film once more. Supergirl. Supergirl's tight blue top. Subconsciously, she starts rubbing the palm of her hand up and down Rachel's thigh, only jerking out of her daydream when Rachel's fingers become more insistent.

Quinn arches off the couch, pressing her top half harder back against Rachel.

"Touch me," Quinn mutters, ripping her eyes away from the television to look at Rachel. Her girlfriend smiles beatifically and drops one hand towards the waistband of Quinn's shorts.

"I thought I already was," Rachel muses, lips trailing down Quinn's neck. She pushes Quinn away from her slightly and hauls the bunched-up tanktop up over her girlfriend's head before glancing down the length of her body. Her breath hitches as she watches the blonde's abs strain and contract. "Watch your movie." Quinn attempts to look over at the television but then Rachel's hand slides a little further south and she jerks at the touch.

"Rach," Quinn whimpers, looking down to where Rachel's arm disappears beneath her shorts. She exhales shakily as the brunette cups her sex, fingers trailing through the wetness already seeping out of her before pushing against the blonde's clit.

A strangled noise leaves Quinn's throat as she arches back into Rachel again, hands gripping the brunette's thighs.

"Madame will not be impressed if you leave bruises all over my legs," Rachel murmurs, running a teasing finger to Quinn's entrance.

"Can you please not talk about your decrepit ballet teacher when your fingers…" Quinn gasps as Rachel pushes inside. "God, when your fingers are doing that." Quinn whimpers, eyes trained firmly on the movements beneath her shorts. Her hips rock upwards from the couch before rolling back against her girlfriend.

Rachel closes her eyes for a few seconds as the sensation of Quinn grinding against her sends a shiver through her body.

"You okay?" Quinn asks, voice strained as she rocks again, trying to take more of Rachel inside. The brunette nods, focusing her attention on her girlfriend instead of the ache that's becoming more and more insistent with each passing second. Quinn turns her head, letting her lips press against Rachel's neck, hips grinding downwards once more.

"You're doing that on purpose," Rachel gasps, canting upwards in the limited space between the cushions and her girlfriend. Quinn smirks, moving a hand up to cup Rachel's cheek.

"You love it really," she murmurs, lips finding Rachel's this time. Her other hand moves over the top of her shorts and presses down against Rachel's hand, thrusting at a criminally slow pace. Their kiss deepens as Quinn's hand slips beneath the shorts, fingers tangling with the brunette's as Rachel slides out.

Their lips part, uneven breaths mingling with one another's, eyes locked. Experimentally, Quinn rolls her hips backwards into Rachel, watching for the reaction. Rachel bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head and Quinn smiles, capturing her girlfriend's lips once more.

Quinn moans into the kiss as Rachel pushes back inside, dropping her other hand away from the blonde's breast. Their hips move upwards together and Quinn brings her hand up to curl in the brunette's hair, pulling Rachel as close as physically possible. It leaves the brunette cursing her decision to wear jeans. Or clothes in general. She wants to feel Quinn's slick skin moving against her own, feel the blonde's nails scrape over her…

Her other hand slides into the loose cotton shorts and she curls her fingers, brushing the tips over Quinn's clit. Her girlfriend lurches, her hips crashing back into Rachel's causing them both to moan. Rachel slides her fingers over the trembling bud of nerves, other hand pushing deeper with every stroke.

"Watch," Rachel murmurs, pulling her lips away from Quinn's. Her gaze falls towards her hands, rising and falling beneath the shorts. Quinn watches as her hips jerk upwards with each of Rachel's thrusts. The brunette curls her fingers deep inside.

It's too much, Quinn thinks. She tries to focus on breathing, on taking more of Rachel, on the fire that's spreading outwards along her arms and legs, on the pull of her stomach muscles as she curls again under Rachel's touch. Her gaze falls on the television for a brief second before Rachel's hands cause her to moan and shudder and fall apart.

Breathless, she collapses against Rachel one more time and sighs happily. Rachel removes her hands from underneath the shorts and Quinn immediately twists around onto her stomach, staring up at her girlfriend.

"Hi," Rachel says, brushing wisps of short hair out of Quinn's eyes.

"You're amazing," Quinn whispers in return, sliding down the brunette's body to get a little more comfortable. She rests her head against Rachel's chest, listening to her heart beat start to slow. "I love you."

"Still not tired of hearing that," Rachel beams down at the top of Quinn's head.

**xxxxx**

After abandoning their Superman and Batman movie, Rachel picks the next one. Quinn is on her feet, the Chicago box already in hand.

"I want to watch this," Rachel says, holding up a different film.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Very," Rachel replies with a decisive nod. Quinn switches the discs over and returns to the couch with a grin. "What?"

"You have a bit of hair sticking up…" Quinn says, reaching over to flatten it down. She nestles into the cushions next to Rachel, sliding her arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Are the shorts okay?"

"Perfect," Rachel says, looking down and making a face. She's wearing a pair of basketball shorts that completely dwarf her petite legs.

"I think you work the jock look very well," Quinn says, struggling to contain her snort.

"Excuse me, I look good in sportswear that actually fits me," Rachel replies, picking at the shorts with disdain.

"Is that a fact?" Quinn asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Movie time," Rachel says, gesturing to the screen.

"Sure, when it's _your_ movie then you're all focused, but when it's my _superior_ movie…"

"I don't recall hearing any noise of objection leaving those lips, Miss Fabray," Rachel says, turning to look at the blonde and running her index finger over her lips. Quinn's tongue darts out and Rachel squirms away. "Movie time."

"Yes, ma'am," Quinn replies, turning her attention to the television.

This time they make it half an hour into the movie before Rachel speaks.

"What would you wish for?"

"Huh?" Quinn asks, tearing her gaze from the television.

"What would you wish for?" Rachel asks again, linking her fingers with Quinn's and marvelling for the millionth time at how well they fit together.

"I don't know," Quinn says honestly. "I don't really have any reason to wish for anything. I'm happy. I have my mom and my friends and a pretty amazing girlfriend. I guess I'd wish that my mom's cooking was a little better." Rachel nudges her in the ribs.

"Judy's cooking is perfectly…" Rachel tails off, trying desperately to think of an adjective that adequately describes the older Fabray's cooking.

"Horrible," Quinn finishes with a laugh, turning back to the movie. "This is my favourite scene."

"Mine too!" Rachel says excitedly. They watch as Tom Hanks and his boss walk through FAO Schwarz, stumbling upon the giant piano. "It's on my bucket list."

"What is?" Quinn asks. "Wait, you have a bucket list? Rach, we're not even at college yet…"

Rachel blushes and reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear, a gesture that Quinn recognises as a sign that the brunette is feeling self-conscious.

"Not that there's anything wrong with having a bucket list," she backpedals furiously.

"Haven't you ever thought about things that you want to do? Things out of the mundane? I made my first bucket list at fifteen and I've already completed some of the items on it," Rachel says.

"And they are?" Quinn asks, turning her attention fully to the brunette.

"Singing onstage in New York…" Rachel begins.

"That can't possibly count as a bucket list item!" Quinn says. "That's an inevitability, Rachel. A fact of life. You're going to end up on a stage in New York."

"I wasn't finished," Rachel says, sticking out her tongue. "I very specifically wanted to sing on the Wicked stage, which I did with Kurt last year." Quinn nods, remembering her girlfriend's tale of their breaking and entering escapades in New York.

"What else?"

Rachel's cheeks colour immediately and she averts her gaze.

"Rach, come on," Quinn says, squeezing her hand.

"Fireworks," Rachel mumbles.

"What?" Quinn asks, leaning in a little closer.

"I wanted to kiss someone who made me feel fireworks," Rachel says, eyes slowly rising to meet Quinn's gaze. A grin passes over Quinn's lips. "I didn't say it was you!"

"You didn't have to," Quinn replies, bringing a hand up to the back of Rachel's neck. "Fireworks," she exhales, watching her girlfriend shiver.

"Every time," Rachel whispers with a timid smile. Quinn presses her lips to the brunette's, softly, chastely. "Every time."

"So, the piano is on the bucket list?" Quinn asks when she pulls away from the kiss.

"The piano, yes," Rachel nods. "Tom Hanks, no." Quinn laughs and squeezes Rachel's hand once more. Rachel leans her head against Quinn's shoulder as the blonde rewinds to the beginning of the piano scene.

Watching the two men play 'Chopsticks', Quinn wonders how many other things she'll help Rachel cross off her list. The piano, she decides, will be the tip of the iceberg.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Present Day**

"…so after missing most of the Batman and Superman movie, we watched Big and I mentioned that playing the giant piano at FAO Schwarz is on my bucket list," Rachel finishes and turns to look at her best friend. "Corny, right?"

"Corny," he agrees with a short laugh. "And wonderful. She's rather amazing, this girl of yours."

"I think so too," Rachel smiles and leans over to rest her head on Kurt's shoulder. He slides his hand on top of hers and laces their fingers together, squeezing gently.

"You really didn't need to share the details of the sex on Judy's couch though," he says, grimacing.

"I just like grossing you out," Rachel laughs loudly.

The toy store looms into view and Rachel bolts upright, staring out from her window. Suddenly a feeling of nervousness jumps through her system, the good kind of nervous. The kind of nervous she feels most nights before she goes out onto a stage, the kind of nervous she feels when she makes speeches at Gala dinners or rallys. It's the same sort of feeling she had just before her first kiss with Quinn, her first everything with Quinn.

It's the kind of nervous feeling that she turns into positive energy and when the cab pulls up, she jumps out, ready for this challenge, a grin plastered onto her face. Kurt pays the driver and takes Rachel's arm, leading her into the store.

A familiar face is waiting for them when they finally make their way to the piano. Kurt's face lights up as he wraps his arms around Blaine's waist and places a chaste kiss to his lips. Rachel watches as they murmur excitedly between themselves before walking over to interrupt them.

"Hey!" Blaine says, giving Rachel a peck on the cheek. "Guess what I have!"

He holds up the sixth envelope with a grin and Rachel reaches for it. Blaine holds it up high above his head, causing Rachel to pout and mutter about people taking advantage of her height.

"I can't," he says. "Not until I show Quinn the proof that you've gone through with this." He gestures to the piano. There are two teenaged boys hopping around on the keys to something that vaguely resembles the Star Wars theme tune.

"So, everyone was in on this?" Rachel asks, putting a hand on her hip. "You and the dress and Sardi's," she addresses Kurt. "And you! Are you going to see Quinn after this?" The taller man shakes his head.

"I just have to send her the video," he says, showing the brunette his phone. "She was very mysterious about the whole thing. But it's Quinn. Do you really expect anything other than mysterious?"

"I guess not," Rachel huffs. "Are you ready to make a fool of yourself?"

"Of course!" Kurt replies, leaving his bag and Rachel's dress with Blaine. "What are we playing?"

Rachel's response is drowned out by a shout and a rush of people making their way to the piano. Rachel hears her name being called and autographs being asked for and is blinded by camera flashes.

"Great."

Her humiliation will be on various social networking sites within the next fifteen minutes.

"Lighten up Rachel," Kurt says, giving her a smile and pulling her to the newly vacated piano. He tests out a few notes before playing the opening bar of Rachel's favourite nursery rhyme. She rolls her eyes and takes a step forward, planting her feet on the keys to finish off the song with Kurt. There's rapturous applause from the ever-growing crowd and Blaine who's capturing the whole thing for Quinn.

Not that he needs to.

At the back of the crowd, hidden underneath a ridiculously large sunhat, Quinn is watching her girlfriend, the love of her life, prance around on the piano with her best friend. They play the songs made infamous by Tom Hanks and Quinn can't contain her grin. Rachel's face is completely lit up, her laugh resounding around the store as Kurt hits a bum note.

Jokingly Rachel asks the crowd if they have any requests and picks out a young girl from the crowd wearing a Wicked hoody to join her and Kurt on the piano.

"Do you know Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music?" Rachel asks, taking the girls hand and directing her to the starting note.

They work out the notes together with Kurt and Quinn watches, catching sight of the key-shaped pendant swinging around the brunette's neck. Quinn feels her heart swell slightly more at how perfect it looks on her.

Not only do the trio perform the song note-perfect, but the entire crowd join in to sing the words, drawing even more attention to what's happening on the upper floor of FAO Schwarz.

They finish to rapturous applause and while Rachel is signing a few autographs, Quinn slips away, hurrying down the stairs. She's stuffing her sunhat into a bag when her phone buzzes.

Blaine's video is accompanied with a text.

_Nice hat! I won't tell her x_

Quinn blushes and downloads the video, watching half of it before remembering that she has one more stop to make.

**xxxxx**

"Quinn approves," Blaine says, handing the envelope over to the bouncing brunette, still buzzing after their performance. He snakes an arm around Kurt's waist and holds him close. "You were awesome."

"Of course," Kurt rolls his eyes before gesturing to the envelope in Rachel's hands. "Open it!"

"Can we go somewhere a little less…" Rachel turns to see a pack of fans still lingering behind them.

Blaine nods and picks up the bags, steering them down the stairs and out of the store onto Fifth Avenue where Rachel eagerly rips into the envelope. Like the others, there are three more pieces of the jigsaw waiting for her. And the note.

_It's thirsty work being as talented as you._

_Maybe a stroll to Bethesda will cool you down?_

_Look for the balloons to find the missing pieces._

_Love you x_

_PS. Be prepared for another performance_

"Another performance?" Rachel quirks her eyebrow, running her fingertip over Quinn's writing before passing it to Kurt.

"Any other bucket list items springing to mind?" he asks.

"Nope," Rachel gives a half-shrug. "But a stroll through Central Park sounds divine. Maybe it'll jog my memory."

"I think we should chaperone you," Blaine insists. "Who knows what could happen between here and that fountain!"

"You guys are just nosy," Rachel says with a grin. "Let's go."

She drops the jigsaw pieces into her bag along with the rest and grabs her sunglasses, sliding them on as they make their way towards the sun-drenched park.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**College Graduation**

"Look at our daughters," Raymond murmurs, eyes never straying from the couple making their way down the carpeted stairs of the hotel they're staying at for the next few nights. Quinn has her hand on Rachel's lower back; both girls are laughing at an unheard joke.

Next to Raymond, Judy sniffs and accepts the proffered tissue from Michael. She dabs lightly at her eyes.

"Mom! Could you please stop crying?" Quinn exclaims, wrapping the older Fabray in a hug. Judy sniffs again but nods, vowing to get herself together. She's been crying on and off since her younger daughter had appeared in her cap and gown earlier that day. The tears had intensified when they'd announced Quinn's name and her baby girl had collected her diploma, flashing a grin out towards the audience where her mom and girlfriend were clapping and cheering.

"You're just so beautiful," Judy says between sniffs, the tears falling freely once more. Quinn rolls her eyes and detaches from her mom before the tears stain her dress.

"I'm not going to disagree with that," Rachel says, wrapping an arm around Quinn's waist and beaming up at her. Raymond snaps a photo. "Dad!"

"It's a good one!" he says, showing his husband who nods.

"It's time to go," Michael interjects before Rachel can wrestle the camera from his husband's hands to make sure that the photo is perfect. The only person who can take a bad photo of his daughter is the blonde girl staring adoringly at her and even then, those photos will never see the light of day.

The quintet makes their way out to the car waiting to take them to their restaurant. Quinn and Rachel's restaurant, Michael corrects himself. He loves New York but he doesn't adore it the same way his daughter does. He doesn't _have_ a restaurant or a bookstore or a cinema here; mostly because there are far too many to choose from.

Rachel and Quinn, however, have their own everything. Restaurant, café, bookstore, cinema, gym, park bench… They have their inside jokes, their whispered conversations, their moments of quiet where neither girl needs to talk. They have their own take-out schedule, though they've reassured him that Thai Tuesdays and Mexican Friday's are still sacred.

Michael knows, and has known for eight years, that they have something special and that they'll be something special for a long, long time. And more than anything, he's overjoyed that his daughter has found someone who completes her the way his husband completes him.

"Dad, all that frowning is going to give you wrinkles," Rachel chides softly as they climb out of the car. He wraps an arm around her shoulder and smiles down at the girl, the woman, who still fits perfectly in his arms, the way she did the day after she was born.

"_More_ wrinkles," he corrects and leans down to press a kiss to his daughter's head.

"Are you okay?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow up at him. "Should I be worried?"

He laughs and shakes his head.

"I'm just really proud of you," he says. "And Quinn. And what you both are and will be."

Rachel's face splits into a wide grin and she wraps her arms around his waist.

"Thank you," she says, words muffled against his coat.

"Anytime," he replies and guides her into the restaurant. Rachel immediately gravitates to Quinn's side and loops her arm around the blonde's.

"Hey graduate girlfriend," Rachel says, sliding her hand down to link their fingers together. Quinn glances down and smiles before her eyes meet Rachel's.

"Hey yourself," Quinn says. "After dinner, can we take a walk? Just us?"

The past few days have been a whirlwind of pre-Graduation dinners and exhibitions and terrifying interviews and sightseeing with her mom. She's starting to crave a little alone time with her girlfriend, even if alone time meant walking through a city with a million other people. She needed a break from their parents.

"Of course," Rachel says, nodding quickly. "I've missed you. It feels like weeks…"

"It's been days," Quinn chuckles, rolling her eyes.

"Too many," Rachel grumbles.

The waiters fuss around the table, bringing over drinks and menus and explaining the Specials in minute detail. They place their order quickly and as soon as they're left alone, Michael picks up his fork to tap it against the side of his glass.

"Speech!" Raymond says, clapping his hands once in excitement.

"I don't think a speech is necessary," Quinn says, a blush growing over her cheeks.

"Unnecessary," Rachel agrees, ducking her head down to try and avoid looking at her dad.

"Completely necessary!" Judy announces, beaming over at the tallest of the Berry's.

"Quinnster," Michael begins. Both Rachel and Quinn groan.

"I thought they'd forgotten about that," Quinn says, trying to sink lower into her chair, not caring about the creases she's creating all over her dress.

"Quinn," Michael tries again. "First of all, congratulations! We're so proud of you." Michael places his hand on Raymond's shoulder. Quinn smiles at both of them and Rachel squeezes the blonde's hand. Judy's eyes well with tears again.

"Really, mom?" Quinn laughs.

"I'm honoured to be here with my husband and our daughter to celebrate with you. I know that there are parties you should probably be at, celebrating with the rest of your classmates." Michael smiles, meeting Quinn's gaze and takes a steadying breath. "But you're here. With us. Your family."

Quinn feels her heart skip a beat and Judy sniffs loudly, dabbing her eyes with another of Raymond's tissues.

"And we are your family. I hope you know that."

Quinn nods, whispering 'I do'.

"And I hope that you know that whatever life gives you or throws at you, we will be here for you. One hundred per cent. We love you and we're so proud of the woman you've become."

He reaches for his glass and raises it.

"To Quinn," he says and beams across the table.

Everyone else follows suit and their glasses meet in the middle of the table, clinking together. Judy takes a sip of her water before blowing her nose loudly.

"Thanks for that, mom," Quinn says, patting Judy's shoulder gently. The older Fabray smiles through her tears and reaches for her water again. "And thank you, Michael."

Rachel's dad's eyes twinkle as he inclines his head towards her then clears his throat, reaching for the bottle of wine to top up their glasses. He watches Rachel lean into Quinn to whisper something that makes the blonde burst out laughing. Quinn rolls her eyes then leans her forehead against the brunette's.

He reaches across his husband to snag the camera and lifts it up to take a photo.

"Dad!" Rachel groans, turning to look at him. Raymond glances at the screen and grins. "Is it awful? You took it from my worst possible side!"

"It's perfect, honey," Michael says, passing over the camera for the brunette to inspect it. Her finger hovers above the delete button.

"You look beautiful," Quinn murmurs, looking over Rachel's shoulder at the photo. "Let him keep it?"

"Fine," Rachel mutters and hands the camera back to her grinning dad. Michael looks at it once more before passing it to Judy, whose eyes grow moist again.

She excuses herself from the table as the plates of food start to arrive.

"She'll be okay, right?" Quinn watches as her mom makes her way towards the restrooms.

"I'm still a little dehydrated from Rachel's graduation," Raymond says with a wink. "She'll be fine."

**xxxxx**

Rachel stares at the empty plates around the table and groans.

"So much food," she murmurs, placing her hands over her stomach. "There's no way I'm going to work this off."

"The hotel has a gym," Raymond says helpfully. "Not that I'll be going anywhere near it. I'm ready to sleep."

"We're going for a walk," Quinn says, reaching for Rachel's hand. "We'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

Rachel finds herself being pulled up out of her seat against her wishes. They wish their parents good night, bestowing hugs and kisses around the table before hurrying out of the restaurant.

"We could have stayed a little longer," Rachel grumbles as Quinn hails a cab.

"It's a beautiful night," Quinn says. "I want to take my beautiful girlfriend for a walk through a beautiful park."

"You should have majored in Creative Writing with lines like that," Rachel muses.

"Wait until I draw the park for you," the other woman laughs. "It'll rock your world."

A cab pulls up and Quinn holds the door open for Rachel before jumping in after her. She gives the address to the driver and Rachel rolls her eyes.

"We could have walked," she says.

"No, we'd walk ten blocks then you'd start complaining that your feet hurt," Quinn says confidently. Rachel huffs.

"I like the shoes," she says.

"So, your feet aren't in agony?" Quinn arches an eyebrow.

"Oh no, they're pretty much numb," Rachel says with a sad nod of her head, glancing down at her feet. "You could have carried me."

"Rachel, I love you," Quinn chuckles. "But even love has its limits. Anyway, we're on a bit of a schedule. I can't carry you all the way to where we're going in the next twenty or so minutes."

"Where are we going?" Rachel asks, perking up significantly.

"Patience," Quinn says, leaning over to brush her lips over the brunette's, silencing whatever protest is about to burst out of them. "I forgot to say thank you."

"Thank you?" Rachel asks blankly.

"For the note," Quinn murmurs, her lips moving across Rachel's cheek. Rachel and Judy had already left Quinn to finish getting ready with her classmates earlier that day when she'd popped open the clasp on her bag to grab a mint and had spotted the folded up piece of paper wedged in the small side pocket. She'd frowned and fished it out, unfolding it quickly as her classmates started to call her name.

Rachel's writing had stared back at her.

_You did it! I'm so proud of you. _

_I can't wait for the next chapter of our lives to start. (I predict big things!)_

Quinn had rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's pseudo-psychic abilities.

_I love you, Quinn. Always._

_Xx_

_P.S. Try not to trip, Klutz. _

"You managed not to trip," Rachel notes, eyes drifting shut as Quinn's lips move lower, down her jawline to her neck. The blonde's teeth nip along the sensitive skin until Rachel moans softly in her ear.

"I'm not a total klutz," Quinn confirms. "I'm trying to decide what nickname I like more… Quinnster or Klutz."

"Klutzster?" Rachel asks, causing the blonde to laugh and pull away. "No, come back."

"I can't make out with you if you call me that," Quinn says resolutely and moves to the other side of the car. Rachel pouts and reaches for Quinn's hand. "Stop pouting."

Rachel grins, shakes her head and sticks out her bottom lip again.

"You're ridiculous and we're here!" Quinn announces as the cab pulls up next to the sidewalk.

They set off into the park, Rachel's feet now throbbing in agony because of the shoes. The damn shoes. By the time they reach the fountain, tears are threatening to start pouring down her face and she tugs on Quinn's arm, begging for a break.

Quinn sighs and crouches down, gesturing for Rachel to climb onto her back.

"Are you serious?" Rachel asks, relief spreading across her face before she awkwardly climbs onto the blonde's back. With an overdramatic groan, Quinn straightens up and plods onward.

"I can just see the headlines now: Future Broadway Star Demands Piggyback Ride from Girlfriend!" Quinn laughs. "Juilliard Graduate Uses Eco-Friendly Transportation on Late-Night Foray into Central Park."

"That's far too long to be a headline," Rachel grumbles.

"I'm an artist, not a writer," Quinn responds, veering off down a path towards the sound of jazz music. Relieved that they haven't missed the band, Quinn picks up her pace and rounds the final corner to their destination. A group of ten musicians are spread out on a bandstand and couples are dancing in the grass in front of them. A few tables are dotted around the area and Quinn spots the one she's looking for, a 'Reserved' sign adorning the top.

"Quinn, my feet are literally too sore to dance," Rachel says apologetically.

"We're not here to dance," Quinn says, leading Rachel over to the table and telling her to sit. "Remember when you accused me of being scared to sing in public?"

"I didn't _accuse_…" Rachel interjects, remembering their last visit to the piano bar where Blaine has been working for a few months.

"You accused," Quinn says firmly and smirks, walking towards the stage. The band is coming to the end of a song and she climbs up next to them, greeting the double bassist with a kiss to the cheek.

Rachel watches in curiosity as her girlfriend takes her place at the microphone, front and centre.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Quinn Fabray," the pianist introduces her and they fall into a familiar song. The piano plays over the opening riff, the drums building steadily in the background and Quinn opens her mouth to sing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Present Day**

Despite having the shortest legs of the trio, Rachel is the one who sets the pace for their walk through the park. When they arrive at the fountain, Kurt sits down on the edge, trying to catch his breath.

"I don't see any balloons," Rachel says dejectedly.

"Explain again why this place is significant," Blaine says, taking a seat next to Kurt.

"There are a lot of reasons," Rachel says with a sigh, sinking down on the other side of Kurt.

"But there must be one that sticks out. A performance," Kurt says.

"Graduation," Rachel says, smacking her forehead with her palm. "The day Quinn graduated from college, we came here after dinner and she sang with a band, this bunch of musicians who get together three or four times a year to give impromptu concerts. They don't advertise though. Quinn only knew they were performing because she was friends with the double bassist at college. He doesn't play with them anymore and we've never watched them play since."

"And the performance?" Blaine asks, still confused.

"Quinn sang with them," Rachel grins. Kurt's mouth falls open in shock.

"You never told us!"

"She didn't want to make a big deal about it," Rachel says. "Remember when we all went to Mike's? And we begged for her to sing but she wouldn't do it? I thought she was scared but she got up on stage and sang with this band. And it was incredible."

"What did she sing?"

"Remember the New Year's Party at Quinn's house?"

"Parts of it," Blaine says, making a face. Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Yes! She sang 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'… or she tried to… until Judy bogarted the microphone. She got us to conga around the lounge during the bridge."

"Well, there were no Judy's to ruin it this time," Rachel beams, sighing at the memory before glancing at Blaine who's squinting around, a perplexed expression on his face. He springs to his feet, pulling Kurt with him. Rachel gives them a questioning look and starts to ask where they're going until Blaine shushes her.

"Listen," he urges. Rachel frowns and tries to drown out the noise of the people milling around, the sound of chairs scraping and children laughing as they chase each other. Music is drifting over the tops of the trees towards them.

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel mutters and gets to her feet, taking off in the direction of the music. Blaine and Kurt are on her heels, speeding away from the fountain until Rachel pulls up short in a clearing, hand clutched to her chest.

Like the last time she stood in this exact spot, there are tables and chairs placed randomly around, there are a few couples dancing near the stage but this time, there are balloons everywhere. Balloons are attached to chairs and bunched together on tables and hanging from trees.

"Found the balloons then," Blaine says, untangling one from a nearby tree to pass it to Kurt.

The table nearest the front has a reserved sign on it and Rachel makes a beeline for it, heart racing when she spots the familiar white envelope hidden beneath the sign. Kurt and Blaine sit down, waiting for the brunette to rip into the note.

"Open it," Kurt squeals, passing it to Rachel. It feels slightly heavier than the last and she opts to be a little more careful, peeling it open with care. The note falls out along with a smaller envelope.

_Give Kurt the envelope and get on stage._

_It's where you belong._

_Love you x_

"She really has got it all planned out," Rachel grins, remembering their conversation after Quinn had performed with the band as Kurt picks up the smaller envelope.

"_You were amazing," Rachel whispers, tucking herself into Quinn's side as they walk out of the park._

"_It felt wrong. You watching me. Next time, it's your turn. If we find them again," Quinn replies._

"Rach? I think you need to get onstage," Kurt says, gesturing towards the band. The pianist is standing at the front, holding his hand out to the brunette. With a nudge from Blaine, she walks up, listening to polite applause from the couples who have stopped dancing. An embarrassed smile crosses her face as she takes up her position at the microphone but then, as usual, a feeling of total calm washes over her and she turns to look at the band expectantly.

Without giving any indication of the song she's singing, the band begins to play and Rachel starts to laugh, recognising it after the first bar. The violins swell through the introduction and Rachel takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and lets her voice push out of her.

Memories of the New Year's Party flood her mind as she sings through the first verse.

"_There's no _way _you can sing _this _song!" Artie insists, nursing an almost empty glass of whatever they've been sneaking out of Judy's liquor cabinet._

"_Fifty bucks says she can," Puck counters, extending his arm across the coffee table._

_Rachel shivers as Quinn's hand slides around her back and the blonde leans in close, breath tickling her neck._

"_If you sing this, I might have to marry you," Quinn murmurs. Rachel turns to look at her girlfriend, unable to form words at the look in Quinn's eyes. Quinn leans in a little closer and presses a soft kiss against Rachel's unmoving lips. There's no doubt in the brunette's mind that she'll marry this girl, regardless of whether or not she sings the song._

"_Love you," Rachel whispers when they part and Quinn smiles. They turn back to the others and Rachel rolls her eyes dramatically and shakes her head. "This is definitely a song for Mercedes to rock." She gestures for her friend to take the microphone away from one of Judy's friends who is massacring a Sinatra song._

_Mercedes rocks the song so hard that the speakers almost explode into blazing smithereens._

_As the party winds down, the pair escape outside, wrapped in blankets stolen from the den. They sit down on the swing on the back porch as close as physically possible to keep warm. _

"_You could have sung the song," Quinn says sleepily, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder. "You would have nailed it."_

_Rachel responds by getting to her feet, tugging Quinn to her feet. The blankets fall away causing both girls to shiver._

"_Dance with me?" Rachel asks, hands on Quinn's shoulders, sliding up until her fingers link behind the blonde's neck._

"_There's a slight lack of music," Quinn chuckles. _

"At last_," Rachel starts to sing out, feeling the goosebumps rise all over Quinn's skin._

A blush rises over Rachel's cheeks as her mind steers her towards what happened after their dance on the back porch. Quinn's hand in her own leading her up to the bedroom, nervous kisses that had become needy and urgent, reassurances that it didn't hurt, moans, skin against skin and the most amazing sensation Rachel had felt other than being centre stage.

When the song ends, there's rapturous applause and Kurt helps her down from the stage.

"You look a little flushed," he notes, leading her back to the table and pouring her a glass of water from the jug sitting there.

"It's a hot day," Rachel says, gulping down the water. "And that song is hard work."

Her mind is so wrapped up in the past that she momentarily forgets about the second envelope. Kurt waves it in front of her and she snatches it eagerly. Two jigsaw pieces tumble onto the table and a note with a single line written on it.

_Meet me here at 7._

"Where?" Rachel asks, turning the card over to find the other side blank.

"Um, Rach," Kurt says, idly playing with one of the jigsaw pieces. "It _might_ be time to put the pieces together."

"Oh!"

Blaine passes her bag across the table and she tips the rest of the pieces out. It takes them less than a minute to piece them together.

"What time is it?" Rachel asks, staring at the jigsaw, running her fingers over the pieces. A small smile plays on her lips at the memory of her first date with Quinn in New York and the blonde's attempts to be chivalrous; the attempt that completely backfired when Quinn reached to pull open a door as someone on the other side pushed and it hit her in the face, earning her the nickname Klutz.

"Five," Blaine says, checking the time on Kurt's watch.

"You have your own watch!" Kurt huffs. "What's going on?"

"I have to go home and get changed," she says, glancing up at them with a grin. She gathers up her bags and the jigsaw pieces, rushing around the table to press kisses to both men's cheeks. "Thanks for everything, you two. I need to get ready!"

Rachel turns and makes her way out of the clearing, Kurt's calls drowning amongst the rest of the noise surrounding the fountain. She hails a cab and reels off her address so quickly that the driver asks her to repeat it three times before he understands.

She manages to harness her excitement until she's safely inside her apartment. She spins the lock on the door and starts to jump around the hallway, squealing until she remembers that she has to shower and change and make her way back into the city in just over an hour.

Grabbing the bag with dress inside it, she skips along the hardwood floor to her bedroom. Their bedroom. Her favourite room in the apartment.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Two Years Ago**

Quinn knows this is the one. This has to be the one. There are literally no other apartments to view in their price range. Well, there are other apartments but they're too far away from her studio and Broadway. Rachel has already vetoed three on account of their lack of reputable coffee establishments within a five minute walking distance.

The realtor shoots the blonde a weary smile and opens the doors to their last apartment of the day. Quinn is charmed before she even reaches the open-plan lounge. The sun beams in through tall, wide windows and Quinn starts to picture where she'll place her favourite squashy armchair. She glances at her girlfriend, praying that Rachel will like it.

The brunette is tapping her fingers against her lips, gazing around at the space.

"Rach, what do you think?" Quinn asks, almost nervously.

"I like it," Rachel says with a decisive nod. The realtor exhales, relief washing over her. "Let's see the rest of it."

Rachel slides her hand into Quinn's, interlocking their fingers and leading her towards the kitchen which opens into a dining room.

"The kitchen is a little small," Rachel notes.

"Baby, you don't cook," Quinn responds quietly, deciding that she's not entirely against using her womanly wiles to get this apartment. The neighbourhood is great, there are cafes up and down the street, all of which serve a variety of coffees, and it's on her bus route to work.

"I could cook," Rachel grumbles.

"You won't cook," Quinn laughs. "Come on, we need to check out the bedroom."

She pulls Rachel down the hall and into their new bedroom. Positive thinking, Quinn decides. It _will_ be their bedroom. Rachel takes a few steps into the room and folds her arms, surveying it pensively.

"Walk-in closet," Quinn says in a sing-song voice. "Our own balcony." She walks behind the shorter woman, snaking her arms around Rachel's waist. "You have no idea how much I want you on that balcony." Quinn's voice lowers to a growl.

"We'll take it," Rachel shivers and turns to grin at the realtor. "We'll take it."

"I'll organise the paperwork, Miss Fabray," the realtor says with a wide grin.

"Thank you, Nancy," Quinn says, walking over to shake the woman's hand. "Really, thank you."

Nancy gives her a final smile and leaves the room, heading back to the lounge to plan her celebratory drinks for finally finding somewhere for the impossible Miss Berry to live. Still, the couple hasn't broken her record for the most viewings before signing the dotted line. That honour goes to an actor and his much younger girlfriend. She puts in a call to her office informing them of the news.

"I love it," Quinn says, leading the brunette into one of the other bedrooms. "We can convert this into a studio or maybe leave it as a guest bedroom for when our parents visit?"

"Tell me more about the balcony," Rachel says, a devilish smile crossing her features.

**xxxxx**

Quinn sinks to the floor, dusting her hands against her denim shorts. She closes her eyes for a brief second before footsteps interrupt her attempt to catch a quick nap.

"Where are Santana and Brittany?" Rachel asks, peering out the door.

"They're taking a breather down at the truck," Quinn says, sliding further down the wall. "There are only a couple of boxes to go."

"And the boys?"

"Coffee run," Quinn murmurs, already relishing the taste of the strong Columbian coffee she'll be drinking for the third time that day. "You look surprisingly chipper. How many boxes did you lift up here?" She knows perfectly well that the answer is five. Two less than Kurt has lifted up the stairs.

"I've been supervising," Rachel says, rolling her eyes.

"You're doing a great job, honey," Quinn says, curling up into a ball on the floor. "Just wake me when the coffee gets here."

There's a thud near her head and she opens her eyes to see Rachel sitting inches away.

"Come here," Rachel says, pulling Quinn's head into her lap.

"I'm so tired," Quinn mumbles. "And hot. And disgusting. I need a shower."

"We'll take a shower together as soon as the others leave," Rachel promises, bending down to push her lips against the exhausted blonde's. "I might have promised Brittany and Santana dinner though."

"What about the boys?"

"They have plans with some of Blaine's friends," Rachel says. "We'll order early. Santana has been bitching all day about how she's spending her second last weekend in New York doing this instead of taking Britt to a Yankees game."

"Be nice," Quinn says, reaching up to twist a lock of Rachel's hair around her finger.

"I'm always nice," Rachel grins against Quinn's lips. "I'm going to miss them."

"Them?" Quinn quirks an eyebrow and chuckles as Rachel blushes.

"Yes, _them_," Rachel says. "Just because Santana doesn't like me…"

"She does!" Quinn insists far too quickly. "She just has a funny way of showing it sometimes."

"Joanne called while you were downstairs," Rachel says, changing the subject far too casually. Quinn's half-closed eyes rocket open. Rachel determinedly keeps her expression indifferent though inside, her internal organs are doing backflips.

"And?" the blonde urges. "Did you get the part? You got the part, right?" Rachel makes a face and starts to shake her head. "You're lying, aren't you? Rachel Berry, you got the part, didn't you?"

"I got the part," Rachel squeals and Quinn sits up, engulfing the shorter woman in a hug. "I'm meeting the rest of the cast on Friday then we start rehearsals on Monday."

"I'm so proud of you," Quinn says. "Broadway superstar."

"Thanks, Van Gogh," Rachel replies, nuzzling into Quinn's neck. Quinn groans.

"You are no longer allowed to give me nicknames."

"You love them really," Rachel murmurs, her lips tickling Quinn's neck. The blonde shivers and pulls away, shaking her head. They're interrupted by Santana's voice, complaining loudly, as she and Brittany climb up the final flight of stairs.

"You guys couldn't have picked a place with an elevator?" she says, placing a box marked 'Unused Kitchen Stuff' on the floor. She thumps down onto the floor, dragging Brittany with her. "There are two more boxes. We thought you'd like the pleasure of bringing them up here on your own."

"Thoughtful," Quinn says, winking at her former roommate. "Come on, Rach."

"But I'm supervising," Rachel pouts but springs to her feet when Santana glares at her. "Coming! There are drinks in the fridge. Help yourselves!" she trills and takes off down the stairs after Quinn. The blonde easily hauls herself up into the truck and brings the final two boxes to the door.

"This is it, babe," she says, jumping down next to Rachel. "You have that look. What's that look for?"

"Y'know," Rachel says, stepping in closer, eyebrows waggling up at the blonde. Her hands settle on Quinn's hips.

"Really, Rachel?" Quinn asks, folding her arms across her chest as she leans backwards from the brunette. "Even though I'm gross and sweaty and disgusting?"

"You have a point," Rachel responds, sniffing dramatically and taking a few steps backwards from her girlfriend. "Yuck." Quinn is about to give chase when the smell of strong coffee assails her senses.

"Coffee!" Kurt announces, rounding the side of the truck and passing a cup to Quinn. She seizes it hungrily and takes a long sip.

"Perfection," she sighs, leaning against the truck.

"I have no idea how you can drink that on a day like this," Blaine says, sipping something orange and iced. "Are these the last boxes?"

"Yup!" Rachel says, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

"Thank god," Kurt says, finishing the rest of his latte. "Has Joanne called yet? You said she was phoning before four…" Rachel nods so quickly that her head nearly falls off. "Well, that answers the question of whether or not you got the part! Congratulations!" He wraps her up in a hug so tight that she nearly drops her coffee. "I can't wait! Broadway! We'll go out and celebrate this week?"

"Of course," Rachel says, leading Kurt up the steps into the building.

"Don't worry, babe," Quinn calls after her. "We've got the boxes."

"That's great, sweetie!" Rachel calls over her shoulder, flashing Quinn a winning smile before turning back to Kurt and disappearing inside. Blaine and Quinn share a slightly exasperated look before heaving the boxes out of the truck and following after their significant others.

"Are you guys planning on moving again anytime soon?" Blaine asks as they make their way up the first flight of stairs.

"Not if I have any say in the matter," Quinn puffs, arms already feeling the strain. Blaine chuckles.

"Do we ever have any say in the matter?" he asks.

"Touché," Quinn says grimly.

**xxxxx**

Rachel groans, squeezing her eyes shut. It's too early. It's too early and last night, they drank too much. Why is the sun shining on her face? Who has opened the curtains? What is that scratching noise? She cracks one eye open and glances to her left, unsurprised to find Quinn's side of the bed empty. Even with a hangover, Quinn never stays in bed longer than she has to.

"Try not to move too much," a quiet voice interrupts her thoughts and she glances over to the right. Quinn's face is half-hidden by a sketch pad.

"And the award for the world's creepiest girlfriend goes to…" Rachel mutters, closing her eyes again.

"Good morning to you, my little ray of sunshine," Quinn chuckles, turning her pencil around to erase the line she's just drawn. Rachel grumbles and reaches for a pillow, throwing it towards Quinn. It misses by a little more than three feet.

"Morning," Rachel responds, rolling onto her side and bending her arm to prop herself up.

"And the award for the world's most disobedient girlfriend goes to…" Quinn says, raising an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "Lie down again. I'm nearly finished."

"Nearly finished? How long have you been up?"

"Couple of hours," Quinn replies, focusing on her drawing again.

"We got home a _couple of hours_ ago!" Rachel says, rolling onto her back again.

"I felt inspired," Quinn murmurs, starting to shade, eyes darting up to her subject. Rachel doesn't respond but smiles up at the ceiling. She lets the blonde continue in silence, feeling her eyes begin to droop.

"Are you drawing me like one of your French girls?" intones Rachel in an uncanny impression of Kate Winslet.

Quinn snorts and starts to shake her head.

"You're insane," Quinn murmurs. "And there was only one French girl."

"Liar," Rachel grins a lazy smile and closes her eyes once more until a horrific memory screams into her mind. "Oh my god," she exclaims, throwing an arm over her eyes.

"Stop moving," Quinn urges. "What's wrong?"

"Santana… we… she…"

Quinn begins to laugh, lowering her sketch pad as her girlfriend groans and reaches for a pillow, holding it over her head.

"Hey, stop that," Quinn chides her. "It wasn't that bad."

"I did shots of tequila off her stomach, Quinn," Rachel moans from beneath the pillow. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"I was pleased to see you both finally getting along. Please move the pillow, you've messed up your hair."

Rachel shoves the pillow back towards the top of the bed and falls silent once more, cringing as she recalls their half-walk, half-stumble home. Quinn raises the pad and continues shading.

"Think of something else," Quinn mutters. "I can't draw you all… frowny."

"Not a word," Rachel whispers, lips curling into a smile. "This reminds me of Thanksgiving."

"Which one?" Quinn asks, biting her tongue between her teeth as she adds in a few more lines.

"The first one," Rachel says. "The first time you stayed the whole night. I woke up and you were curled up on my desk chair, scribbling furiously on a pad of paper."

"I wanted to finish it before you woke up," Quinn says, holding the pad out to inspect her work. She frowns and brings it close again, shading a little more. "You told me that I could be an artist."

"And look at you now," Rachel says, pride flowing from her words. "Your own studio, exhibitions…"

"Shhh," Quinn says, rolling her eyes and holding up the drawing one more time. She sighs and scribbles a note at the bottom before signing it. She rips it from the pad and climbs out of the chair, stretching her legs before walking to the bed.

"Can I move now?" Rachel asks, eyes half-lidded.

"Not if you don't want to," Quinn replies, kneeling on the bed above her girlfriend. "Here."

Rachel reaches out for the drawing, holding it delicately.

"It's gorgeous," she breathes.

"Of course it is," Quinn blushes, straightening out her tanktop and watching Rachel's eyes feast greedily on every square inch of her drawing. Her eyes fall on the note in the bottom right corner and she smiles.

"Always a note," she murmurs.

_Just as beautiful as you were the first time._

_Love you, always_

_Q x_

"Sap," Rachel mutters, brushing at her eyes.

"Your sap," Quinn says, placing the drawing to one side and bending down to kiss the brunette's cheek.

"My sap," Rachel agrees, gently guiding Quinn's lips to hers. "Always."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Present Day**

_Love you, always_

_Q x_

Rachel traces her fingers over the corner of the drawing, lost in memories. She's fast asleep in the drawing, a hint of a smile playing on her lips and the sheets all tangled around her legs. Of the hundreds Quinn's drawn of her, it's her favourite.

The sound of a car horn brings her back into the present and she moves quickly towards the door, glancing at herself in the mirror as she goes. She smoothes her stunning, new dress down and touches the pendant around her neck. The first two notes of the treasure hunt feel like days ago now.

Sitting in the cab on her way to her final destination, to Quinn, she has time to process everything that's happened. The dress, the necklace, the massage (her muscles want to sigh happily at the memory of the massage), lunch with Kurt, FAO Schwarz and the giant piano and the performance in the park with that elusive jazz band. She can't believe that Quinn's pulled it off so exquisitely or that Kurt has managed to hold his tongue for so long.

There's no sign of Quinn outside the building when she arrives and it's a little after seven so she walks inside, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She begins to catch looks and sees people whispering behind hands, eyes darting towards her. With an embarrassed smile, she turns to face the doors and grins when Quinn walks through them a couple of seconds later, though Rachel almost doesn't recognise her out of her 'artist' clothes.

Quinn catches Rachel's gaze and lights up, making her way over.

"Hey," she says, ducking her head to kiss the brunette softly. "You look beautiful."

"As do you," Rachel replies, looking Quinn up and down again. "I'd almost forgotten what you look like out of black skinny jeans and a paint-covered shirt."

Quinn blushes and glances down at her pale-yellow dress, tugging at the form-fitting bodice delicately before meeting the brunette's eyes once more.

"How was your day?" Quinn asks, crooking her elbow for Rachel to take it.

"Same old, same old," Rachel sighs dramatically. "Mostly I just lounged on the couch watching movies and eating popcorn."

"Really?" Quinn asks, raising an eyebrow. "That's not what I heard."

"What did you hear?" Rachel asks, allowing Quinn to guide her towards the steward. The taller woman fishes the tickets out of her bag and hands them over.

"Enjoy the show, Ms Berry," the steward says after inspecting their tickets. Rachel thanks him politely and they make their way to their seats.

"I heard that your awesome girlfriend left you a note this morning that sparked a treasure hunt around New York," Quinn says, shrugging slightly as she settles into her seat on the aisle. Rachel frowns, tapping her chin in mock-concentration.

"That's not ringing any bells whatsoever," she says and grins over at her girlfriend.

"That's strange," Quinn makes a puzzled face. "Because the first two clues led to gifts that are remarkably similar to that dress and the necklace you can't seem to stop playing with."

"Coincidence," Rachel says, dropping her hand away to her lap.

"And you look all relaxed, like you had a massage," Quinn muses, reaching for Rachel's hand. Rachel bites down on the corner of her bottom lip, chewing thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I'm not convinced. You should find better sources," Rachel says, nodding decisively.

"Babe, there are videos on Youtube of you and Kurt jumping all over the giant piano at FAO Schwarz," Quinn says, smirking now.

"Great," Rachel mutters.

"Not that I needed a video," Quinn says, turning to look at the stage.

"You were there?" Rachel exclaims, garnering attention from people in the rows around them. Quinn starts to laugh and Rachel tries to sink lower in her seat, pouting ferociously.

"I was there," Quinn confirms. "And at the park."

"Stalker," Rachel mutters, glancing over at her still chuckling girlfriend. "Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

"I had a great day," Rachel says, squeezing the blonde's hand. "Thank you."

Quinn beams and leans over to kiss her girlfriend.

"Well, you've been really busy lately and I wanted to do something to remind you how much you love this city."

"Mission accomplished," Rachel congratulates her. "And we ended up here. Just like our first date."

"Minus a broken nose."

"Minus a broken nose," Rachel agrees, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as a laugh starts to bubble up. "Klutz."

"Diva," Quinn groans and drops Rachel's hand, crossing her arms.

"Quinn?" Rachel says, trying to grab the blonde's hand. Quinn stays resolutely still, eyes focused on the stage. "Quinn, look at me." Quinn rolls her eyes and turns in the opposite direction. "Quinn, I love you. Will you just look at me?"

With a heavy sigh, Quinn turns back to look at her grinning girlfriend.

"I love you too," Quinn mutters and snakes her hand into Rachel's lap again. The brunette grins happily and links her fingers with Quinn's.

**xxxxx**

After the cast leaves the stage, bowing after their second standing ovation of the night, Quinn sits down.

"Aren't we going?" Rachel asks, quirking an eyebrow, leaning back to let other people pass her. Quinn shakes her head.

"Not yet," she says, suddenly aware of the nerves that she's managed to keep calm for most of the day. Rachel gives her another questioning look and sinks back into her seat, glancing through the programme once more.

The theatre empties quickly, much to Quinn's dismay. Her stomach has started doing backflips and she's forgotten pretty much all the words she wants to say. Shakily, she gets to her feet, giving a thumbs-up to the woman at the nearest exit. The woman nods in return and signals for the rest of the stewards to leave.

"Quinn, what's going on?" Rachel asks, getting to her feet. Quinn grabs her hand and leads her down to the front of the theatre, towards a set of steps that will take them up onto the stage. "Quinn, we can't just go up onto the stage," the brunette hisses dramatically.

"Says the Broadway superstar," Quinn chuckles through her nerves, pulling her girlfriend to the centre of the stage. As if it's all planned, the house lights dim, leaving them bathed in the light from the two spotlights high above the stage. "Don't worry."

Quinn reaches into her bag and retrieves an envelope.

"I thought you were finished with the notes," Rachel says happily, reaching out for it.

"Not yet," Quinn says, hiding it behind her back. "Rachel…" her heart thuds unevenly as she smiles at her girlfriend. "You tell me constantly that my lines are cheesy and that I'm not a writer." Rachel blushes and opens her mouth to interrupt. Quinn raises a finger to the brunette's lips. "But I just led you around New York with a few notes so I figure that I'm not _that_ bad at this writing thing. This is your final note of the day."

She pushes the envelope into Rachel's outstretched hand and watches the brunette stare at it. It feels like it takes Rachel an eternity to peel the envelope open and pull out the final note, four words and a question mark scrawled on the white piece of card. Rachel's face lights up, her eyes brightening with tears that have suddenly crowded at the corners. But she doesn't speak. Instead she reaches for her bag.

"Uh, Rach…?" Quinn asks, confusion spreading across her face. Rachel finds what she's looking for and straightens up, uncapping the pen and scribbling a single word on the back of the card before passing it back to the blonde, question side up. With shaking fingers, Quinn flips the card over and grins, dropping it to scoop Rachel up in her arms. She spins the brunette around five or six times before setting her back on her feet and grabbing her bag up from the stage. Rachel's eyes go wide as she takes in the small blue box in the centre Quinn's palm.

"Maybe I should ask you properly," Quinn says, dropping down on one knee and popping the box open.

"Maybe," Rachel says blankly, eyes trained on the diamond sparkling up at her from the box.

"Rachel Berry, Broadway Superstar, bane of my life, my favourite diva, owner of the key to my heart," Quinn says, grinning up at the brunette. "Will you make me happier than I already am and marry me?"

She takes the ring out of the box and reaches for Rachel's hand, sliding the delicate band onto her finger.

"Please see my previous response to this question," Rachel says, holding her hand up to inspect the ring. Quinn reaches for the discarded note and gets to her feet.

"Did I break you?" Quinn chuckles, pressing her lips to the brunette's. Rachel sinks into the kiss, arms surrounding Quinn and pulling her closer.

"Yes," Rachel says, breaking the kiss. "And yes, Quinn Fabray, artist extraordinaire, note-writer, comic book nerd and picker of the most exquisite jewellery in Tiffany's, I will marry you."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>Thanks for reading/reviewing :) And sorry if you just got a bunch of emails about this fic. It's all fixed now. I hope!


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